1. Obsany
By Simon Jermyn (Elastic)
Simon Jermyn is one of Ireland’s finest jazz exports. The 44-year-old Dublin guitarist and electric bassist moved to New York in 2009 and soon established himself in the city’s cutting-edge creative music community; 11 years later he did the same after moving to Berlin. Jermyn’s fifth release introduces a new eponymous European quartet, in which the leader takes the guitar and composition chair alongside Otis Sandsjö on tenor saxophone, Petter Eldh on electric bass and Lukas Akintaya on drums. The result is supertight, state-of-the-art jazz that seamlessly scrolls between postbop, open improvisation, electronica, new music and off-kilter funk and rock. A thrilling ride.
2. Heartstrings
By Snowpoet (Edition)
Snowpoet is the duo of the Dublin-born, London-based vocalist and lyricist Lauren Kinsella and the London keyboardist and producer Chris Hyson. Over one EP and three albums, the pair have forged a rich and immersive soundworld that filters such varying forms as improvisation, electronic, acoustic and folk through a deep interest in the singular art of songwriting. For Heartstrings, the duo expands to a collective quintet that variously adds tenor saxophone, electric bass, piano and drums to create music “in the moment, in real time”. It’s a highly original work informed by a keen jazz sensibility – and Snowpoet’s finest album to date.
3. How the Dust Falls
By Izumi Kimura and Gerry Hemingway (Auricle)
The prolific and adventurous Wicklow-based Japanese pianist Izumi Kimura released no fewer than five albums this year: two solo explorations, a duo with the guitarist Christy Doran, a live trio album with Lina Andonovska on flutes and Dominique Pifarély on violin – and this compelling second release with the renowned American drummer Gerry Hemingway. Recorded in Switzerland, with Hemingway doubling on marimba and vibraphone, How the Dust Falls captures the duo’s deft and often playful way of “exploring formal structure with completely improvised material”. At once experimental and accessible, it is the sound of musical empathy and generosity, of two virtuosos serving a greater whole.
4. At Swing, Two Birds
READ MORE
By Ronan Guilfoyle’s Bemusement Arcade (Livia)
This has been another good year for the revived Dublin label Livia, with further first-rate reissues mostly featuring its mainstay, the late guitarist Louis Stewart. Encouragingly, Livia has also begun to release albums by acclaimed contemporary Irish musicians: the saxophonist Michael Buckley, the pianist Carole Nelson – and the bassist and composer Ronan Guilfoyle. This punning pick-of-the-crop release features a new quartet – with Sam Norris on alto saxophone, Chris Guilfoyle on guitar and Darren Beckett on drums – and showcases seven smart leader originals that cleverly mix traditional jazz forms and sources with rhythmic experimentation. Elegant cool-school music for our overheated times.
5. No Expectations
By Nils Kavanagh (Flaming Sword)
This hugely impressive debut album by 23-year-old Sligo-born pianist Nils Kavanagh is a fascinating snapshot of his prodigious talents, recorded at Limerick University Concert Hall in 2023. Ably supported by Marcus Baber on bass and Sam Green on drums, Kavanagh presents six original compositions, plus one tune written by Eddie Lee, director of Sligo Jazz Project, which showcase his winningly bright and radiant piano sound. “Home, joy, family, mythology, folk music, loss and longing” are among the themes Kavanagh has cited, all unified by a “focus on warm melody and musical storytelling”. Modestly titled as it is, No Expectations more than delivers.
