The Language of Jazz
Cork City Music Library Grand Parade, 1pm, free
A presentation to help all beginner- and intermediate-level musicians in their performance of jazz music, through the use of language. Presented by Dr. Ian Darrington MBE
Karen Underwood: The Black American Songbook
Cork Opera House Green Room, 3 & 6pm, €22
Cork-based singer presents volume 2 of a show centred around the history of black music in America, from classic spirituals and gospel, to jazz and soul. Running all weekend.
Mick Flannery & Susan O’Neill
Cork Opera House, 8pm, €30
Veteran singer-songwriters team up to present their collaborative album ‘In the Game’ live, off the back of supporting Phoebe Bridgers on her recent US tour.
Paul Dunlea & Cormac McCarthy
Triskel Christchurch, 8pm, €25
Two pillars of Cork’s jazz community come together to perform a mixture of standards and original compositions.
Matthew Halsall & Band
Everyman Palace, 10.15pm, €25
Manchester jazz trumpeter and bandleader brings a full ensemble through compositions from tropical-inspired 2020 album ‘Salute to the Sun’.
Stevie G & Minnie Marley
River Lee Hotel, 10.30pm, free
The don of Cork hip-hop mans the decks for young singer Minnie Marley by the riverside.
SATURDAY:
HousePlants
Cyprus Avenue, €20
Bell X1 frontman Paul Noonan and electronic producer Daithí give their new collaborative project a live outing.
Blue Note Trio
River Lee Hotel, 6pm
Part of a weekend of free music at the River Club. Other Cork hotels, the Metropole and the Imperial, will also have music over the next few days.
MåsExödus
Everyman Palace, 6pm, €30
Choice Cuts founder Mark Murphy, bandleader Max Zaska and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble come together to explore the sound of contemporary jazz. Also performing Sunday at the same time and place.
One Horse Pony
Barbarella, 6.30pm, free
Cork folk-rockers hold up the floor at the Barrack Street bar formerly known as An Réalt Dearg and the Gateway.
Kneecap
Cyprus Avenue, 7pm, €22.50
Belfast rabble-rousers Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Próvaí are back to wreck heads and stage equipment alike after the cancellation of pre-Covid Cork dates.
Colm Motherway
Electric, 7pm, free
Veteran Cork DJ and Radio Otherway boss joins the Dim the Lights crew in selecting the tunes at the South Mall bar and restaurant all evening.
Marc Copland
Triskel Christchurch, 8pm, €28
Iconic jazz pianist, referred to by critics as a “quiet giant”, performs a one-off solo show at the Triskel, drawing from new solo album ‘John’.
The Dan Walsh Trio
O’Sho, 9pm, free
Cork musician and improviser oversees one of several jazz sessions in progress throughout the weekend at the limited-capacity Barrack Street bar.
The X Collective
Everyman Palace, 10.15pm, €20
Irish soul, R&B and hip-hop talent coalesce in a live excursion for the Dublin-based collective, including vocalists Senita, Toshín, and Jess Kav.
Jenny Greene & Generic People
Cork Opera House,11.30pm, €22.50
Dublin-based DJ and 2FM presenter resumes her spot on the Jazz Weekend’s late shift, serving up dance classics, floor-fillers and hidden gems.
SUNDAY:
The Academic
Cyprus Avenue, 2pm, €30
A matinée Sunday show for the pop-rock chorus merchants after their evening show sold out quickly.
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Live at St. Luke’s, 2pm, €30
The HBE summons jazz-lovers to Sunday service with an afternoon set of old spirituals at the Northside’s sonic temple.
Gold.Berg.Werk.
Triskel Christchurch, 2.30pm, €20
Xenia Pestova Bennett (piano) and Ed Bennett (live electronics) perform a radical reinterpretation of Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations.
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Everyman Palace, 6.30pm, €30
The family band from the south side of Chicago returns to Cork stages after wowing live audiences on recent Jazz Weekend excursions.
Blok Rokn Beats
Cork Opera House, 7pm, €26
Today FM DJ Dec Pierce leads audiences on a journey into ’90s big-beat classics, with live percussion from The Hit Machine.
MåsExödus & Denise Chaila
Live at St. Luke’s, 7.30pm, €30
The Pharaoh of Irish hip-hop treads the boards at St. Luke’s to help MåsExödus in a last-minute reprise performance.
Pontius Pilate & The Naildrivers
An Bróg, 7.30pm, free
Amid all the jazz, a chance to hop on the train to Skaville with Leeside’s resident two-tone heroes.
Kit Downes’ Dreamlife of Debris
Triskel Christchurch, 8pm, €25
An opportunity to hear the ECM Records man’s highly anticipated and critically acclaimed album ‘Dreamlife of Debris’ in concert.
James Vincent McMorrow
Everyman Palace, 9.30pm
Singer-songwriter and producer heads to the Everyman to play tunes from major-label debut ‘Grapefruit Season’.
Niall McCabe Band
Coughlan’s, 10.30pm, free
Galway soulman and his full band get rammed into the back room at Douglas Street for a Sunday show.
Jenny Greene
Cyprus Avenue, 11pm, €20
Another super-serving of crowd-pleasers and floor-fillers from 2FM’s resident dance encyclopedia.
King Kong Company
Cork Opera House, 11.30pm, €25
Waterford crowd-pleasers (and their Boxhead) bring their festival-tested live show back to the Opera House stage – testing the audience’s ability to stick to their seats!
MONDAY:
Hyde Park Brass Band
River Lee Hotel, 12pm, free
Live jazz to cure what ails you after Sunday night’s Bank-Holiday revelry.
Pa Sheehy
Cyprus Avenue, 7pm, €15
Former Walking on Cars man has opened his solo account in recent times, reflecting on pre-lockdown life and the nature of change with debut EP ‘The Art of Disappearing’.
Yasiin Bey fka Mos Def
Cork Opera House, 7pm, €40
Nineties hip-hop icon makes his Cork Jazz Weekend debut, exploring his catalogue with the help of a big band drawn from the ranks of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.
OUTDOOR OPTIONS:
Beat on the Street
City centre; all weekend at various times, free
No, not the kid-friendly 2FM ragers of old – but happy jazz from some of Europe’s best marching bands as they parade the city streets.
The Jazz Bus
City centre; all weekend; free
You can celebrate the Jazz in many different ways – but going for a spin with one of the many marching bands doing the rounds has to be a highlight.
Blarney Concert Band
Daunt Square; Saturday, 3.30pm, free
A selection of light and popular music, played by the award-winning Blarney Concert Band as part of the Big Fringe lineup.
Jazz at the Super Dome
Emmet Place; Saturday and Sunday, all afternoon, free
The big brass bands that will be walking through town have a HQ to report to – and you can see them on stage, all afternoon, at the Super Dome, just outside Cork Opera House.
