Saturday 1
Dirty Jazz Club
Arthurs, Dublin, arthurspub.ie
The Dirty Jazz Club are reclaiming Saturday nights for jazz with an energetic show that is packing them in upstairs at Arthurs. Getting their hands dirty on music by everyone from Zawinul to Zappa is a talented bunch of front-rank Dublin musicians, including drummer Conor Murray, bassist Derek Whyte, trumpeter Bill Blackmore, trombonist Colm O'Hara, keyboardist Darragh O'Kelly and saxophonist Cathal Roche. Arrive early to nab a seat.
Sunday 2
Nigel Mooney
United Arts Club, Dublin, dublinarts.comIt was the closing of the venerable JJ Smyths two years ago that prompted the good people at the United Arts Club to start running this weekly Sunday afternoon session, featuring JJ's stalwart Nigel Mooney. The popular guitarist and singer, coming straight out of the Grant Green school of hard-swinging jazz, leads an accomplished "chamber trio" featuring pianist Johnny Taylor and bassist Barry Donohue in the club's comfortable upstairs room from 4pm to 6pm. Non-members welcome.
Dublin Jazz Co-Op: W-ire Me
Workman's Club, Dublin,facebook.com/dublinjazzcoop
The Dublin Jazz Co-Op series, currently curated by vocalist Fiadh Rua Gregg, is an important weekly session, providing a valuable platform to emerging Irish and international artists across a whole spectrum of creative and improvised music. W-ire Me is a new project led by Lisbon-born vocalist Filipa Quintino examining a sense of place through poetry, mythology and a "twirl pipe", with guitarist Chris Cole.
Tuesday 4
Lounge Quintet
Leeson Lounge, Dublin
The long-running Tuesday night session at the Leeson Lounge is one of the city's last old-school jazz residencies, attracting a devoted following of movers, shakers and swingers to the legendary south city pub. Old-school hard bop is the subject under discussion, with tunes by Monk, Horace Silver, Wayne Shorter et al, from a talented five-piece who have been playing together for over two decades, including Slovakian tenor player Peter Dobai and trumpeter Bill Blackmore, with swinging support from guitarist Tom Harte, bassist Paid MacConnailóg and drummer Tom Dunne.
Friday 7
Conor Guilfoyle Octet
Arthurs, Dublin, arthurspub.ie
Drummer and educator Conor Guilfoyle has form when it comes to whipping horn sections into shape. His superb Latin jazz bands in the 90s were a proving ground for generations of Dublin musicians, delivering authentic Afro-Cuban grooves and tightly arranged horns to adoring audiences. The Dun Laoghaire percussionist's latest project is an old-school "little big band" inspired by Miles Davis's and Gil Evans's Birth of the Cool ensemble, which wowed audiences at the Bray Jazz Festival last month. The tight-as-a-drum horn section includes saxophonist Peter Dobai and trumpeter Bill Blackmore (see also Tuesday), along with saxophonists Yuzaha O' Halloran and Kelan Walsh, trombonist Paul Frost, pianist Darragh Hennessy and bassist Barry Rycraft.
Sunday 9
Dublin Jazz Co-Op: Mare Nostrum/Sisucunda
Workman's Club, Dublin,facebook.com/dublinjazzcoop
The Dublin Jazz Co-Op series, currently curated by Shy Mascot vocalist Fiadh Rua Gregg, provides an important platform to emerging Irish and international artists across a whole spectrum of creative and improvised music. This week, there are sets from Italian guitarist Anna Bignami's trio Mare Nostrum and Finnish bassist Otso Kasperi Melonen's quartet Sisucunda. Check out the Co-Op's Facebook page for details.
