Guinness Jazz Festival organiser Pat Horgan would like to attend jazz venues in the city as an ordinary punter, but admits he would probably be too busy examining the quality of the event to enjoy it.
As the 24th Jazz Festival comes to a close in Cork, Pat and his fellow committee members start the annual post-mortem and planning for next year.
"We will begin by looking at other festivals and travelling to places like Scandinavia to get ideas that are good. The core of this festival is always going to be jazz bands but we are increasingly looking at peripheral events such as master classes and junior jazz for children." Pat says festival organisers all suffer from the same disease of worrying obsessively about the festival.
This year's major cancellation came from a US Navy band who were set to play at the jazz parade last Sunday.
Months of work was put in to setting up Garda protection for the sailors only to have the Navy cancel last Friday because of poor weather conditions for flying from Naples.
Pat says the festival, like jazz, is ever evolving. "What drew people in the 1970s and 1980s is different from what draws people now. There is a lot of variety of music. One of the most outstanding features of the festival is the mix of age groups."
The festival draws crowds of 40,000 people to the city. It is said to be worth £12 million annually to the local economy.
Organisers claim the event can go on indefinitely provided it keeps up with jazz trends.
The hub of jazz activity continues to be at the five stage, Gresham Metropole Hotel, where the festival originated as a substitute for a cancelled bridge weekend in 1978.
The demand for venues increases all the time with the Savoy Theatre receiving a £3 million revamp this year to cater for enthusiasts.
A new "Jazz Pavilion" was also built at the Imperial Hotel where table service is provided for jazz lovers who have gone past sitting on bar stools.
Pat Horgan pays tribute to fellow committee member and jazz critic Pearse Harvey.
"To think this festival started because of a cancellation at the Metropole Hotel. A call from the manager to Pearse Harvey led to a jazz festival. Then Pearse got John Player to sponsor it. We have every reason to be proud of the festival in Cork. It has got such a solid base. It has infinite possibilities."