American superstar Kamasi Washington confirmed for Guinness Cork Jazz Festival
Kamasi Washington, pictured here at Coachella 2023, will play the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella)
The organisers of Guinness Cork Jazz Festival have confirmed that Kamasi Washington and his band will play at the 2024 festival. Arguably the biggest star in the contemporary jazz scene, the Californian will be making his first visit to Cork for a late night show at the city’s Opera House on Friday, October 25.
The addition of Washington to the lineup of the 2024 event is quite a coup for organisers who had already announced another American giant of the genre, vocalist Gregory Porter, for the bank holiday weekend. Other announcements for the line-up will be made later this month, with tickets for the Washington concert likely going on sale in late May.
Festival director Mark Murphy was delighted to confirm the addition of the 43-year-old saxophonist to the bill after it was first revealed by jazz writer Philip Watson in the Irish Times.
"Along with Gregory Porter, we're delighted to have another superstar like Kamasi Washington in Cork for the festival, and we'll have plenty more exciting acts to reveal later this month," said Murphy.
Washington will also play the Olympia in Dublin on October 23 as part of a tour to coincide with this week’s release of his fifth album, Fearless Movement, the artist’s first long player since 2018. Having previously collaborated with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Kendrick Lamar, the west coast innovator includes the likes of André 3000, Thundercat, and George Clinton on his latest offering.
In December 2023, Cork jazz festival organisers had announced Porter’s appearance at the event, with both of his shows at the Opera House selling out almost immediately. Presumably, the tickets for Washington will fly just as quickly.
