30 YEARS a-going, Limerick Jazz Society (LJS) will mark its milestone birthday this year with a three day jazz festival, September 28 to 30. With the support of Arts Council, Shannon Development and RTE lyric fm, Limerick Jazz Festival will host huge overseas acts such as the Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Group from America, the UK’s Lianne Carroll Trio and on these shores, Galway’s famous Black Magic Big Band. Being the longest active jazz society in the country, Limerick’s has much to celebrate, having built on its two performance seasons annually with weekly jazz improvisation workshops and hefty reputation on the world jazz circuit.
“The jazz scene here is recognised as one of the strongest in the country with a lot of educational activity as well as performances and we can’t wait to welcome such tremendous jazz musicians to Limerick city,” says an excited John Daly, chair of LJS.
Making the point that at least four performance venues will host the three days of concerts, films and workshops, John notes: “It is really important to us that the festival is spread across the city. We are staging Lianne in Dolan’s Warehouse, Joe Locke and Geoffrey Keezer’s band in Mary Immaculate’s Lime Tree Theatre and the 18-piece Black Magic Big Band in the large function room at Best Western Pery’s Hotel. RTE lyric fm has come on board with the promise of 30-second advertisements nationally in the run up to September 28 and will record the Lime Tree Concert for us to broadcast”.
A new 8-piece band, Crisis Point will play in Belltable Arts Centre, comprised of well known names such as John himself, Joe O’Callaghan, Steve Hanks, Peter Hanaghan, Danny Healy on trumpet and Paul Dunlea on trombone. Culture Night on Friday September 21 will see a jazz film, exhibition, talk by a music authority and a performance tease interest for the subsequent festival weekend.
Contact with various hotels could well result in a dinner bed and breakfast package with tickets to one of the events, and there is hope that a free trail to casual jazz in pubs will be sponsored.
His hardworking committee, comprised of Ed Hansom, Paul O’Sullivan, Robert Hernan, Luigina Ciolfi and Gerry Kirby, has a dedicated website www.limerickjazzfestival.com and twitter @limerickjazz.
“Anyone can buy tickets in advance from participating venues as well as this website,” John Daly points out.
From left, Geoffrey Keezer, piano; Joe Locke, vives; Terreon Gully, drums and Mike Pope, bassist are the Locke/ Keezer group, set for Limerick in September.
