Italian bass player Furio Di Castri was joined by several Irish musicians for this concert of highly enjoyable jazz. Di Castri is a major figure on the Italian jazz scene and has worked with artists such as Michel Petrucianni and Chet Baker. His bass playing is impeccable - on an instrument that can often sound muffled, Di Castri produces a powerful, clear sound. Likewise, his improvisations have none of that plodding, stiff feel which one associates with the bass.

The repertoire for the concert was largely made up of Di Castri's own compositions, which tended to be simple and strongly melodic. For the first set he formed a quartet with Michael Buckley (tenor saxophone), Tommy Halferty (guitar) and Conor Guilfoyle (drums). In keeping with Di Castri's tunes, the playing was straightforward, never straying too far from the melodies. Buckley's solos were gracefully shaped, while Halferty was in aggressive, bluesy form.

Ronan Guilfoyle (bass guitar) joined the players for the second set, which opened with a surprisingly successful bass-guitar and double bass duet on Thelonious Monk's Panonica. This risky two-bass combination also worked well with the rest of the band playing.

Throughout the evening, there was a sense that the players thoroughly enjoyed working together. This was jazz at its most accessible and exuberant.