On The Town: It's time to swing, as the whole of Cork city, including 15 hotels, 55 pubs and two theatres, prepares to host its 25th jazz festival.
More than 1,000 musicians from 29 countries around the world will descend on the city for the festival, which starts on Friday, October 25th.
Even the banks will host musical events, according to Pat Horgan, chairman of the Guinness Draught Cork Jazz Festival Committee, who attended a party in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin this week to announce details of the event. The banks used to serve Guinness to their customers, but this has stopped, said Horgan. Some of the acts he is looking forward to include the Harlem Gospel Choir and the Blind Boys of Alabama, who will both perform in the Cork Opera House over the weekend.
According to Jack McGouran, artistic director of the festival, "we always have an element of Dixieland, but our main focus is showing the best of contemporary jazz, both Irish and from overseas . . . Now we are looking at jazz that is electronic."
He expects more than 40,000 people to visit the city, bringing an expected €25 million into Cork over the four days.
The Nils Petter Molvaer Band, from Norway, introduced by RTÉ broadcaster Maxi, performed at this week's party to give a taste of what's to come in Cork.
Respected Irish musicians, including guitarist Hugh Buckley, double-bass players Dave Fleming and Mick Coady, and drummer Tom Dunne will all be playing in Cork. Buckley will also perform in an audio-visual improvisational piece with artist Gerald Davis, at the Firkin Crane Arts Centre.
Mary Stokes and her band will be there too, in their regular spot at Coonahan's. Singer Carmel McCreagh will also perform, with her husband, film composer Fiachra Trench, on piano.
Photographer Des McMahon, who has travelled the world over the last 12 years attending jazz concerts and photographing the musicians, will have an exhibition of his work at the Everyman Palace Theatre. He's looking forward to hearing Cuban musician Gonzalo Rubalcaba, especially as he has never photographed him.
In advance of the festival, Prof Peter O'Brien, who explained the stride style of piano-playing - "where the left hand strides over the piano making its own rhythm" - will be performing at the National Concert Hall, in Dublin, on Wednesday next at 8 p.m., with Judy Carmichael, as a salute to Ralph Sutton, who died last year. Sutton and O'Brien's last recording together, 2001 - A Stride Odyssey, will be available at the concert.
For more information about the festival, see its website, www.corkjazzfestival.com