Jazz At Kilkenny Arts Festival

Various venues, Kilkenny, various dates, times, prices Aug 7-16 See listings for details www.kilkennyarts.ie 056-7752175

Despite these straitened times jazz, with the odd transcultural mix, is well represented in this year's arts festival in Kilkenny. The main attraction is the great singer Norma Winstone (left) with the superb trio with Glauco Venier (piano) and Klaus Gesing (bass clarinet/soprano saxophone) that made the marvellous DistancesCD for ECM; they will perform next Wednesday.

Next Sunday, the 1970s electric jazz of Miles Davis is recalled by a stellar Irish sextet, who can also be heard in Dublin tonight and tomorrow night, so the group will have their batteries fully charged up for Kilkenny. And jazz encounters other traditions in two other concerts in Kilkenny during the coming week. Tonight, Akamoon, an adventurous Belgian trio, link up with West Africa’s Black Machine and the talking drum virtuoso Baba Sissokho, while the innovative Irish duo Morla join forces with traditional fiddler Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh next Tuesday. And, looking further ahead, next Friday Francesco Turrisi brings his trio to St Canice’s Cathedral, while tomorrow week Copenhagen’s fire-breathing Ibrahim Electric trio make an appearance.

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Tarab and The XiAn Si, Farmleigh, Dublin, Tuesday