Saturday, December 14th
Nigel Mooney & Johnny Taylor Trio
Arthurs, Dublin
Guitarist and vocalist Nigel Mooney has been a draw on the Dublin music scene since the 1980s when he founded the legendary Gripewater Blues Band. These days, Mooney holds down a popular weekly residency in the United Arts Club on Sunday afternoons with a "drumless" trio. Here's a chance to catch him with his full quartet, featuring the effortless old-school class of pianist Johnny Taylor's trio with bassist Barry Donohue and drummer Dominic Mullan. Given Mooney's laconic 2017 release, Twenty-First Century Santa Claus Blues, expect a sideways glance at the season along with originals and choice standards from one of the most popular jazz entertainers on the Irish scene.
Sunday, December 15th
W-IRE ME
Workman's Club, Dublin
The Dublin Jazz Co-Op series, which takes place every week upstairs at Workman's Club, is programmed by musicians and is a great chance to check in with what's happening in the city's fast-moving creative music scene. Vocalist Jennifer MacMahon is currently in the curator's chair. Her next booking is Dublin-based duo W-IRE ME, featuring Portuguese vocalist Filipa Quintino and Irish guitarist Chris Cole, who "examine a sense of place through a kaleidoscope experience of music, poetry and mythology".
Thursday, December 19th
Roamer
MVP, Dublin
If there is such a thing as an Irish jazz supergroup, this is probably it. But there's another factor that makes a Roamer concert extra special and that is their comparative rarity. All but one of this group of old friends are based outside of Ireland, hence the name, and each has made a creditable mark in their adopted cities: vocalist Lauren Kinsella has won the UK Kenny Wheeler prize and is regarded as one of the most innovative vocalists on the London scene; saxophonist Matthew Halpin studied with some of the greats of his instrument in Boston before settling in Cologne where he is in demand both a side-man and as a leader; guitarist and bassist Simon Jermyn is a rising star of the fecund Brooklyn creative music scene, playing with leading drummer Jim Black and many others. Drummer Matthew Jacobson, the only Roamer currently based in Ireland, is one of the most dynamic forces on the domestic jazz scene, leading his groups like ReDiviDeR and Insufficient Funs, as well as making a vital contribution to important cross-over groups like Ensemble Ériu and Clang Sayne. Chances to see these musicians in Ireland separately, let alone together, are rare, so a Roamer concert is a gift for anyone who wants to hear what happens when high level musicianship meets the spirits of generosity and friendship.
Darren Beckett Trio
Arthurs, Dublin
Belfast drummer Darren Beckett may have spent the last two decades in New York, where he mixed in pretty exalted company – writing songs with Brandon Flowers, touring with Madeleine Peyroux and jamming with Lauryn Hill – but his heart has always been in jazz. He drops in this week with a new young trio, featuring two rising musicians from the London scene: guitarist Jack Gillen and bassist Phil Donnelly.
JazzGate: Christmas Special
Black Gate, Galway
Guitarist Aengus Hackett's JazzGate series has been packing them in all year at the Black Gate. One of the most successful was their sell-out celebration of the music of Sarah Vaughan featuring vocalist Sarah O'Toole. O'Toole is back for the week that's in it, with a jazz exploration of the Christmas song book in the company of Hackett and his group.
Saturday, December 21st
Jim Doherty Trio feat. Richie Buckley
Arthurs, Dublin
Here's a Christmas present for fans of hard-swinging mainstream jazz: pianist Jim Doherty is a national musical treasure, who has been a central figure in the history of jazz in Ireland since the early 1960s. Doherty's regular trio is staffed with similarly credentialed grandees, including bass eminence Dave Fleming and drum master Myles Drennan. Add the mellifluous, ever-popular Richie Buckley on saxophone, and you have what might be regarded as a classic jazz dream team.
