The quartet are made up of pianist Luke Howard, bassist Diarmuid Lally, drummer Dylan Lynch, and saxophonist Denis Scully.

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Born in Ulaanbaatar and now based in Germany, Enji (Erkhembayar Enkhjargal ) has achieved widespread critical acclaim for the manner in which she has brought the ancient vocal traditions of Mongolia into bold new territory.

Raised in a traditional family setting amidst folk song and long-song (“urtiin duu”, a Mongolian singing style), she later discovered the freedom of jazz — and found a voice that has allowed her to bring an intimate jazz sensibility and wistfulness to songs that evoke the magnificent vast emptiness of the East Asian steppes of home. 

ENJI’s 2023 album Ulaan marked a major breakthrough.  It was named ‘Album of the Year’ by The Washington Post, made The New York Times list of Best Jazz Albums, and was one of The Guardian’s ‘Best Global Albums’.  

Her recently released third album ‘Sonor’ also made The Guardian’s ‘Best Global Album’ list, at the end of 2025. 

“Gorgeous… The inventive vocalist blurs the line between worldly and otherworldly” – The Washington Post

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Also Featuring: CEO Experiment

Veteran trumpeter Eddie Henderson’s jazz credentials run deep.   A central member of Herbie Hancock’s 1970s band, Henderson received his first trumpet lessons from none other than Louis Armstrong, whose musical imprint echoes throughout his playing style.

But it was connections with Miles Davis that run deepest. A friend of the family throughout his childhood in the 40s and 50s,  it was Davis, who encouraged and supported Henderson – who had studied and qualified as a medical doctor – to pursue a career in jazz. He studied trumpet at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. 

Across a storied career, Grammy Award-winner Henderson has played and recorded with a rich array of jazz heavyweights, including McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey, Ron Carter, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham and for a number of years in Herbie Hancock’s jazz fusion Mwandishi band and other projects.  In the 1970s he released two Blue Note records – Sunburst and Heritage, both of which are widely regarded as fusion classics.

‘Miles Legacy’ is a deeply personal project that honours both the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis’s birth and the enduring influence of one of jazz music’s most iconic figures. 

“Eddie Henderson is a national treasure and one of jazz’s greatest living trumpet players” – All About Jazz

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With a few notable exceptions (Alice Coltrane historically and Brandee Younger today), the harp is not an instrument that’s commonly associated with jazz music.

Monaghan born Sorcha McCague initially studied classical and Irish harp at both the Royal Irish Academy and TU Dublin, and was recipient of numerous awards and scholarships from an early age.  

She received a scholarship from the International Jazz Harp Foundation to travel to Rio deJanairo in 2018, and there she developed and refined her performance within jazz and improvised music.

Last year she featured in an Improvised Music Company programme for emerging Irish jazz musicians, and undertook an artist in residence programme at Tinahely Courthouse Centre in Wicklow.

Sorcha McCague’s band include three great talents in contemporary Irish jazz, percussionist Hugh Denham, bassist Eoin O’Halloran and Yuzuha O Halloran on alto saxophonist and flute.

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Jenny Hallahan is an Irish bassist and composer originally from Kildare, now based between Bundoran and Sligo. Her work focuses on original music that blends groove-based forms, strong melodic writing, and open structures for improvisation and ensemble interaction.

She studied performance and composition at the Waterford Institute of Technology and later at Newpark Music Centre in Dublin. Over the years, Jenny has performed extensively throughout Ireland across a wide range of musical settings, developing a broad and flexible musical voice.

In 2020, she released her debut EP This Life with her first quartet. The release appeared on the US jazz charts for nine consecutive weeks and was described by Linley Hamilton (BBC Ulster) as “compositional jazz in Ireland at its very best.”

Jenny currently leads the Jenny Hallahan Quartet, a contemporary jazz ensemble performing her original compositions, featuring Cathal Roche on saxophone, Conor Bastible on piano, and Chad Murphy on drums. Recent performances include appearances at The Model, Sligo (Informal Music Afternoon) and the Hawkswell Theatre (Lunchtime at the Well). She continues to develop new work with a view to national and international performance.

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Yurodny throw open the borders between jazz, Balkan groove and Eastern-European folk — spinning wild instrumental journeys through klezmer, gypsy rhythms, and the avant-garde.  

First formed by saxophonist Nick Roth in 2007, Yurodny were a popular fixture of Bray Jazz.  

In 2013, they received the EU Presidency Award as part of an international programme celebrating Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union. They performed to more than 7,500 at the Paris Fete de la Music, and enjoyed a riotous and memorable outing on the main stage at Electric Picnic, in 2015. 

Their second album Evenset was described in AllAboutJazz as “surely one of the most significant releases to come out of Ireland in decades.”

Yurodny return to Bray for this special 25th anniversary Bray Jazz show.

Theirs is a bold, brazen mix of traditional music and contemporary interpretation, afforded a remarkably fluid yet structured arrangement by an ensemble that includes many of the leading figures in Irish jazz, improved and experimental music.

“…triumphant, vibrant and irresistable! ” – The Irish Times

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The Genuine Jazz Orchestra is a 17-piece Jazz Big Band, bringing new energy and passion to the music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gil Evans and many of the other legends of big band music.

Led by drummer Ben Cooper and multi-instrumentalist Podge Kilbride, the band members – a mix of seasoned professionals and up and coming players on the Irish jazz scene – share a hunger to preserve and energize the tradition of large jazz ensemble music.

Genuine Jazz Orchestra provide a rare opportunity for audiences to experience the thrill of these incredible big band compositions and arrangements as they were intended – live!

The group has played a number of packed to the rafters live shows over the past year – bringing vibrantly to life a repertoire of swinging sounds, timeless classics, elegant improvisations and original tunes. 

It’s magical stuff.

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The group – pianist Greg Felton, Cormac O’Brien (bass) and Matthew Jacobson (drums) are well known players on the Irish jazz scene – alumni of Newpark Music Centre and involved in some of the most exciting and forward looking jazz projects that Ireland has produced over the past 20 years.

Origin Story’s music is informed by all of these shared experiences and results in provocative and interactive writing and playing, influenced by the origins of the jazz tradition and by the music’s contemporary innovations. 

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Opening presentation in double bill with Eddie Henderson’s Miles Legacy

CEO Experiment were for a decade from around 2010 one of the most highly regarded and successful piano trios in Ireland.

A truly international trio featuring Venezuelan pianist Leopoldo Osio, Peruvian drummer Cote Calmet and Hungarian born bassist Peter Erdei, they were known for their cutting edge fusion, blending improvisation with funk and world music. They were the backing band for award-winning US guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel when he played a sell-out date in Ireland in 2017.

CEO Experiment reform for this show at Bray Jazz, with the founding trio joined by acclaimed Spanish saxophonist Carlos Ligero. It will be the band’s first outing in some years, and will mark the start of a planned 10th anniversary reunion tour, this year.

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Harbour Bar
Sunday, 4th May. Time 9pm

Funkmeisters Chief Keegan released their debut album, The Piles High Club in early 2024 to rave reviews.

The album showcased the tight grooves and catchy hooks that had made the quartet such a popular live band on Ireland’s music scene.

Featuring keyboardist Luke Dunford, guitarist Mark Dudley, bassist Alan Elliott, and drummer Cian Hanley, the Chiefs keep up a relentless touring schedule and have been a popular feelgood outfit at festivals across the island.

They’re a remarkable instrumental outfit with a funky Memphis feel, that’s both rich and swampy.

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