Music

Four of the best – this week’s recommended jazz events

Francesco Turrisi at Triskel; The Phil Ware Trio at the Workman’s Club; Julien & John at Bagots Hutton; The Paul Dunlea Quintet at Arthurs

The Phil Ware Trio with (l-r) Kevin Brady (drums), Dave Redmond (bass) and Ware (piano) make a rare appearance together this Sunday in the musician-curated Dublin Jazz Co-Op at the Workman’s Club

Cormac Larkin's face
Cormac Larkin
Sat May 26 2018 - 05:00

Saturday 26

Francesco Turrisi

Triskel Christchurch, Cork, 1pm, €10/€8, triskelartscentre.ie

Francesco Turrisi's latest album, the beautiful and thought-provoking Northern Migrations, is a musical account of the transformations that occur when we don't live where we were born. "I don't fully belong where I came from anymore," says the Turin-born pianist, "and I will never fully belong where I go". Since arriving in Ireland, Turrisi has become a dynamic force in the cross-genre worlds where jazz, early music, folk and improv overlay, playing accordion, frame drums and much besides, but for the Cork launch of the new recording, he will be confining himself to Triskel's new Steinway.

Sunday 27

Phil Ware Trio

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Workman's Club, Dublin, 7pm, €10, facebook.com/dublinjazzcoop

Pianist Phil Ware is so busy backing other people – from UK vocalist Iain Shaw to Swedish trumpeter Ander Bergcrantz, not to mention tutoring the next generation of Irish pianists on DCU’s Jazz Performance course – that it’s been a while since he dusted off his own trio and gave it a good run out. So this concert, the latest offering from the new musician-curated Dublin Jazz Co-Op at the Workman’s Club, is a rare chance to catch a master of mainstream pianism in the company of his longstanding partners, the peerless rhythm section of bassist Dave Redmond and drummer Kevin Brady.

Julien & John

Bagots Hutton, Dublin, 5pm, €13/10, dublinjazz.ie

Dublin guitar duo Julien Colarossi and John Keogh met on the jazz course at Newpark 10 years ago and have been developing a crowd-pleasing repertoire ever since, one that touches on everything from Crusaders to Chaka Khan to Coldplay. The pair have just released a second album, Just the Way You Are, with their own take on well-known tunes by Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and even an arrangement of Jerry Goldsmith's theme for the movie First Blood.

Thursday 31

Paul Dunlea Quintet

Arthurs, Dublin, 9.30pm, €10, arthurspub.ie

Cork trombonist, impresario and big band leader Paul Dunlea trims down to a quintet for this rare Dublin appearance – or nearly. Not content with a group that includes new (and welcome) arrival Ben Castle (son of Roy) on saxophone and Venezuelan virtuoso Leopoldo Osio on piano, Dunlea has also drafted fleet fingered saxophonist Derek O'Connor of Camembert Quartet and Late Late Show fame as a special guest. The trombonist's 2013 debut album, BiPolar, was a funky blend of jazz, soul and R&B, and with bassist Eoin Walsh and drummer Davie Ryan, Dunlea has just the line-up to get heads nodding in agreement.