Harbour Bar
Friday, 1st May. Time 3pm
Bray Jazz will showcase some of the brightest and best of the next generation of Irish jazz at this afternoon showcase of ensemble music by graduates of the Dublin City University (DCU) BA in Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance programme.
The DCU Centre for Jazz Performance Studies was founded in 2017, and offers a four-year, full-time Honours degree (DC014) designed to train professional musicians. The course features a diverse, international student body, and has hosted students from backgrounds as diverse as Brazil, Iran, Israel, Italy, Denmark, India, France, and Serbia, since it was started. The curriculum covers performance, composition, and music production.
Three of last year’s top graduates have been awarded the opportunity to lead ensembles at Bray Jazz. They are:
- THE MIA BYRNE QUARTET
Led by saxophonist, flautist and composer Mia Byrne, this new quartet has been performing her music at venues across Ireland for the past two years. The music draws on a wide range of influences including Charles Mingus, Kris Davis, Tim Berne, Tom Waits and Debussy. Accompanying Mia are Cormac Kenny on piano, Aidan Gray on double bass and Darragh Groome on drums. - THE IRVIN TRIO
The Irvin Trio explores modern jazz repertoire while drawing inspiration from the traditions of George Shearing’s and Milt Buckner’s block chord styles. Blending this pianistic approach with the contemporary sounds of European jazz. The trio explores both standards and modern compositions with interplay and exploration. Featuring Irvinas Karkauskas on piano, Darragh Groome on drums and Fionn Ruadh on double bass, the new trio performs music by Kenny Wheeler alongside selected jazz standards. - KEITH HOGAN + 3
Led by drummer Keith Hogan, expect tunes by Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter and more. The quartet are all recent graduates of the DCU Jazz Programme, and feature alongside Hogan, guitarist Sid Edge, saxophonist Cuan Dignan and bass player Finn Brooks.