Cork Jazz Festival reviews: Takuya Kuroda, Alice Coltrane Celebration impress at Triskel  

Triskel on Friday evening hosted sold-out gigs from the Japanese trumpter, and a harp-led ensemble 

Alina Bzhezhinska and her band at Triskel Christchurch for the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. Picture: Darragh Kane

Takuya Kuroda (Friday, Triskel, 6.30pm)

Fusion can be a scary word for fans of jazz, or any music. But Takuya Kuroda gives it a good name. As a player, the Kobe-born trumpeter fits easily in the lineage of Donald Byrd, say, but his musical influences range far and wide. The prolific Kuroda has released five albums in the past decade, with loops, synths, and hip hop beats in the mix, in work that’s always groovy and soulful. His 2022 album, Fly Moon Die Soon, is an Afrobeat-infused effort, featuring covers from the likes of Herbie Hancock. His latest, Midnight Crisp, has a cleaner sound though still heavy on funky beats.