A SPECIAL performance of the play based on the Limerick Soviet of 1919 and the Irish premiere of a piece inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses are two of the highlights of this year’s Limerick Jazz Festival.
Venues across the city will play host to a line-up of top jazz performers as the 12th annual Limerick Jazz Festival returns to a fully live programme from September 21 to 25.
Organised by the Limerick Jazz Society, which itself is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, some very special events have been programmed to mark the occasion.
Among the highlights are:
· The Eternal Flame, a mixture of spoken word and music for jazz orchestra based on Mike Finn’s play ‘Bread Not Profits’, commemorating the Limerick Soviet of 1919. Music is by Irish jazz guitarist David O’Rourke, who is a major figure on the New York jazz scene.
· A live performance of Charlie Parker with Strings, one of the most celebrated albums in the history of jazz. The performance is based on the original studio charts and features a full string orchestra along with soloists David Lee Jones and Jesús Santandreu.
· The Irish premiere of A Bit of a Peregrination a new work by Ronan Guilfoyle inspired by and featuring passages from James Joyce’s Ulysses performed by Janet Moran and a group of leading Irish and French contemporary jazz musicians.
John Daly of the Jazz Festival committee said it was great to be back with all live performances after a Covid-enforced absence over the past two years.
“We have a wonderful international group of performers from Ireland, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. 2022 is a big anniversary for us and the festival programme celebrates other big anniversaries such as the Limerick Soviet and the publication of Ulysses.
Limerick City and County Council Arts Officer Pippa Little said the festival is now an established and successful part of the city’s cultural calendar.
“It has shown great resilience to stage a combination of online and live music in both 2020 and 2021, and this year’s programme shows great innovation and originality, as we get back to a fully live programme of events.”
Limerick Jazz Festival is promoted by the Limerick Jazz Society and is supported by the Arts Council and Limerick City and County Council.
More information here
