Whale Theatre, Greystones
Saturday 2nd May, 8.00pm
Tickets: €30

London-based alto saxophonist Sam Braysher teams up with Jazz Singer of the Year Sara Dowling to present a captivating jazz re-imagining of the work of the influential German-born American composer Kurt Weill.

Although Weill might be best known for his pre-war German works, including Threepenny Opera, featuring the classic, Mack the Knife, ‘That’s Him’ draws more on Weill’s work in the US, where he contributed significantly to  The Great American Songbook, and produced memorable, accessible tunes embraced by jazz singers from Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, and the golden era of Broadway.

Born in the Middle East to parents from Palestine and Ireland, Sara Dowling was the UK Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 2019.  With a voice capable of both tender intimacy and bold expressive power, her singing has echoes of such jazz and soul greats as Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughan and Anita O’Day.

The collaboration of Dowling with London-based Braysher has won widespread acclaim, with London Jazz News praising ‘That’s Him’ for its warmth and charisma, intimate storytelling and jazz sophistication in the presentation of classic songbook material, theatrical composition and heartfelt originals.

“There couldn’t be a more beautiful tribute to Kurt Weill” – Paris Move

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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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Havana-born pianist Harold López-Nussa’s music pulses with the richness of Cuban music, with its distinct combination of classical, folk and popular music elements, as well as its embrace of jazz improvisation. 

The son of a pianist mother and jazz drummer father, López-Nussa released a series of trio and quartet albums before being signed to jazz music’s most famous and influential label, Blue Note in 2023. On the New York label he has since released two critically acclaimed albums, the five-star rated ‘Timba a la Americana’ in 2023, and its follow-up ‘Nueva Timba,’ late last year.

Championed as the future sound of Cuban jazz by none other than the legendary godfather of the genre, Chucho Valdes, Harold López-Nussa’s playing is beautifully virtuosic with energetic quick-fire flourishes and high-wire musical configurations.

Classically trained at Cuba’s National School of the Arts, López-Nussa studied jazz at Havana’s foremost music conservatory, The Instituto Superior de Arte.  He quickly established his credentials, winning both the first prize and the audience prize for solo piano at Switzerland’s prestigious Montreaux Jazz Festival when he was aged just 21.  

It’s joyous, upbeat Afro-Cuban jazz, delivered with infectious energy by a trio that includes his brother, drummer Ruy Adrián, and long-time collaborator, bassist Gaston Joya.

“One of the most gifted of his generation” – Le Monde

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Also Featuring: Berri

Pianist and band leader Roberto Fonseca is one of the defining creative voices of the post- Buena Vista Social Club generation of Cuban jazz.

Recruited in his early 20s to play piano with various Buena Vista Social Club projects –collaborations with Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo included,  he later became musical director of Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, and helped to bring the remarkable body of work of that collective of veteran Cuban musicians to audiences worldwide.

With a career that includes solo projects, global collaborations, and Grammy-nominated recordings, Roberto Fonseca today stands at the forefront of a new wave of Afro-Cuban expression—one that both honours the past and pushes fearlessly into the future. 

Gran División is Fonseca’s latest powerhouse ensemble, a group that embodies his vision of Cuban music as a living, evolving conversation. Funk, jazz, rumba, timba and traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms flow seamlessly through the band’s sound and groove, driven by Fonseca’s charismatic leadership at the piano. 

“La Gran Diversión is a tribute to the golden era of Cuban music, shaped by the man who arguably personified the revival of the Cuban sound – Arts Projects Australia

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Celebrating his 80th birthday year, Halferty’s fire burns as brightly as ever.

A composer, mentor and educator for generations of Irish musicians, Derry-born Halferty’s own career began in the late 70s, when he featured in an array of jazz fusion bands before finding his own distinct sound and playing style, and created a vast canon of music that drew it’s influences from classical, folk, Irish traditional, French music and and rock influences.

A regular and popular player at Bray Jazz over the past 25 years, Tommy Halferty will be joined here by a stellar band featuring some of the country’s top players – bassist Dave Redmond, Kevin Brady (drums) and pianist Scott Flanigan.

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Opening presentation in double bill with Roberto Fonseca’s La Gran Diversión

They’ve been described as ‘captivating, atmospheric and sublime’, Berri are a trio of Dublin-based jazz musicians led by vocalist Jenna Harris.

Harris is accompanied by drummer Matthew Jacobson and bassist Derek Whyte, performing a repertoire that draws from electronic music, pop and jazz.

Formed in 2012, Berrie released their album ‘Shadow Chroí’ in 2022, and received huge support from Irish radio, in particular RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. The music they generate is a balance of improvised and clear communicative song.

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Opening presentation in double bill with Fred Hersch Trio

Guitarist, composer and author, Mike Nielsen is a leading teacher of jazz guitar in Ireland. His unique style is influenced by jazz, classical, flamenco, Irish and world music genres.

Mike Nielsen has featured on more than 25 recordings, including with celebrated US saxophonist and flautist Dave Liebman, with whom he has also toured. His current performing focus is on solo guitar and with his new trio with New York double bassist, Brian Questa and long-time collaborator, Shane O’Donovan, drums and electronics.

Sound Recipes present special arrangements of popular and jazz songs in addition to original compositions.

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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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