Saturday, April 14th
Francesco Turrisi
Fumbally Stables, Dublin, 8pm, €18/16.50/12, francescoturrisi.com
Since he arrived in Ireland 10 years ago, Turin-born multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi has lead a succession of fascinating small groups, exploring the connections between Europe and the Maghreb, between the Mediterranean and northern Europe, and between early music and jazz and contemporary improv. This month, Turrisi releases his first solo piano album, Northern Migrations, a very personal meditation on his own musical and geographic journey from south to north. Fumbally Stables is a suitably intimate venue to hear the feather-fingered pianist reveal this new music, and given its size, advance booking is probably a good idea. The higher admission price includes a copy of the new album.
Kevin Lawlor Quintet
Wexford Arts Centre, 8.30pm, €14/12, wexfordartscentre.ie
Drummer Kevin Lawlor is Wexford’s jazz evangelist, leading his own groups, promoting concerts by visiting artists and generally flying the flag for improvised music in his home county. Ahead of a new recording later this year, Lawlor unveils a new quintet, with pianist Pat Molitor, saxophonist Adam Nolan, guitarist Alex O’Keeffe and bassist Jack Rufus Kelly, playing original compositions and new arrangements of jazz standards.
Sunday, April 15th
F-JoB
Arthurs, Dublin, 4pm, €10, arthurspub.ie
Though it may sound like a rude word, F-JOB protest that their name is simply an amalgam of the initials of its members. Still, disruption of the musical kind is certainly intended in the way pianist Greg Felton, percussionist Matthew Jacobson and bassist Cormac O’Brien reinterpret the piano trio tradition. As well as being accomplished jazz musicians (and members of the faculty at DCU’s new jazz department), all three have studied south Indian Karnatic music, and polyrhythmic adventure lies at the heart of their approach. Original compositions from all three, as well as sometimes radical re-arrangements of jazz standards, make F-JoB one of the freshest voices in Irish jazz and a must-hear for anyone who wants to know where the piano trio is headed in the 21st century.
Wednesday, April 18th
Wax On #6 Wayne Shorter
Workmans Club, Dublin, 7pm, €12/10, improvisedmusic.ie
The Wax On listening club – moderated by your humble servant – is a chance to listen with fresh ears to some of the artists who have shaped jazz, and to hear a panel of fellow enthusiasts discuss their favourite tracks. Prior expertise is not required. This month, our attention turns to the towering contemporary figure of saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter. From Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the Miles Davis Quintet to Weather Report and his own trailblazing quartet, Shorter has been at the heart of jazz innovation for the last half century. With play back from original vinyl, rare archive video and personal reflections from leading Dublin pianist Phil Ware and innovative Cork saxophonist Catherine Sikora, Wax On is a chance to find out what all the fuss is about.
Peter Dobai Quartet featjuring Rostislav Fras
Arthurs, Dublin, 8.30pm, €10, arthurspub.ie
Slovakian saxophonist Peter Dobai arrived in Dublin 10 years ago, and with his big, generous sound, rapidly became a leading member of the city’s growing community of émigré jazz musicians. Dobai harks back to his own roots for this special concert, flying in acclaimed Czech saxophonist Rostislav Fras, a leading light of the fertile Prague jazz scene who has shared a stage with Italian pianist Antonio Farao and legendary US drummer Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts. To that august list, he adds Dobai, rising pianist Darragh Hennessy, dexterous bassist Derek Whyte and another welcome émigré, Spanish drummer Gonzala del Val.
Thursday, April 19th
Aleka – Bossa Pra Gilberto
Bagots Hutton, Dublin, 8.30pm, €13/9, dublinjazz.ie
Romanian singer and cellist Aleka Potinga is not one to stay within the genre lines. Since graduating from Newpark’s jazz course in 2015, she has established herself as a fresh and innovative voice on the Dublin scene, blithely hopping between jazz, classical, folk and experimental music. This week, it’s another outing for her heavyweight quartet celebrating the music of bossa nova’s founder, Joao Gilberto, with guitarist Chris Guilfoyle, bassist Ronan Guilfoyle and drummer Brendan Doherty.
