Sax and drums and rock'n'roll: 20 highlights of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival
Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2026: Various brass bands will provide free music around Cork city while, right, Yussef Dayes is one of the headliners at Cork Opera House.
Who said that drummers can’t be composers? The London-born sticksman has been part of a thriving British scene in recent years, with his studio debut picking up the Best Album prize at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2024. Expect the 33-year-old to be surrounded by some of the top players of his generation as he belts out a progressive sound that draws from the melting pot of his home city. * Doors at 6pm with support act Xmunashe on around 7pm, and the main artist following after that.
Keyon Harrold (trumpet) and Marcus Strickland (saxophonist) dip into the music of two jazz legends whose collaborations blazed a trail through the genre in the 1950s. While the modern virtuosos will present takes on some of those classic tunes, they’ve promised interpretations that go beyond the notion of a mere nostalgia trip. Coltrane and Davis would probably agree with that sentiment. (Note that this concert was originally advertised for the Friday of the festival.)
The best live band in Cork? Quite possibly, but definitely the most-suited to strutting their stuff across the city’s jazz weekend. Expect upwards of 18 brass musicians and percussionists on stage, belting out a brilliant repertoire that’ll feature big-band and Latin flavours, as well as reworked dance tunes by the likes of Kerri Chandler and Faithless. Guaranteed fun.
One of the most respected pianists and band leaders in the contemporary scene, the 51-year-old Texan has come a long way since he won the Guinness Rising Star Award at the Cork festival in 2002. A man who references Thelonious Monk and Fats Domino among his influences, along with the sound of New York hip-hop that he heard while studying in the city in the 1990s, Moran’s latest album is a collection of tunes by Duke Ellington.
There will probably be no better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon in Cork, than ensconced in the Triskel listening to the London-born pianist. Best known as a member of Snarky Puppy, his solo output can be just as interesting as that multi-Grammy winning group. Just don’t expect straight-up jazz, as Laurance also has at least one hand in the classical world.
The British saxophonist has been an occasional visitor to Cork through the decades, and returns with a retrospective show that dips into his impressive output since his debut album hit the Top 40 in 1986.
The Tobin Street venue has a well-established relationship with ECM, and this show hosts the combined forces of two of the esteemed label’s Norwegian luminaries. Among the repertoire of pianist Gustavsen and saxophonist Seim are takes on the work of JS Bach. The German composer’s choral works such as , and are used as jumping off points for the Nordic improvisers contemplative journeys. You’re also likely to hear both men’s own compositions, as well as a possible twist on a traditional Irish tune.
While his membership of ace group Ezra Collective is an obvious stand-out on his CV, the Oxfordshire-born keyboardist is another figure who joins so many dots on the effervescent UK scene. For instance, Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd were two of his classmates at the prestigious Trinity Laban conservatoire in London. As well as his success with Ezra, Armon-Jones has been showing his blending skills with the solo albums, where jazz meets dub and hip hop.
While the Cork Jazz Festival would once fill its roster with mostly American acts, Kokoroko are yet another quality British band that can make the short flight across the Irish sea. And typically for the current crop of rising London bands, their main influences are from further south, with a number of African genres in the mix. is their best-known tune, a gentle slice of beauty with upwards of 88 million listens on Spotify, and another 64 million views on Youtube. Potentially one of the gigs of the weekend.
When the teenage blues singer popped up on a Jools Holland New Year’s Eve show a few years ago, Irish fans were delighted to discover that she hails from Donegal. Now 19, the Ballybofey woman is still immersed in the music her father exposed her to as a child, and a recent appearance brought her traditional finger-picking style to new ears. A star of the future.
The festival has long cast a wide net beyond the jazz genre, and Boney M will make for a night of singalong fun. While canny German creator Frank Farian might have passed away in 2024, this version of the group does have early singer Maizie Williams. A greatest hits set is sure to include such classics as , , and .
Bob Geldof may have recently turned 75, but he still manages to bring a punk rock energy to the impressive roster of songs that marked his band as one of Ireland’s finest in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Be sure to get there early to catch local support act Pontious Pilate & The Naildrivers.
Other events at the riverside venue over the weekend include The Stunning (Friday night); and a Rory Gallagher tribute event on Sunday afternoon. Barry Barnes of Sinnerboy will be among the artists performing the Cork legend’s songs, and Rory’s brother, Dónal Gallagher, will be in attendance before the gig reading from his recent memoir, and also signing copies.
Saturday will likely see some rain, but that won’t dampen the spirits on a weekend that will also bring plenty sunshine to the streets of Cork. A stroll through the city will likely bring an encounter with one of the brass bands who’ll be playing on various thoroughfares, and Oliver Plunkett Street is the place to be on Friday from 6.30pm as the bands gather for their parade.
The building works at the Crawford Art Gallery have meant there is no jazz stage at Emmet Place this year, but proceedings have been moved to the impressive setting of Elizabeth Fort on Barrack Street. Brass bands will play for free on Saturday and Sunday at 1pm and 5pm, with the latter session being the ‘Jazz Jamboree’ as the visiting European outfits engage in a final jam session.
As well as several free performances across the weekend, the Grand Parade facility will also host several talks about the genre that gives the festival its name. For instance, on Friday at 11am, Cork singer Ivy Favier will discuss ‘Women in Jazz’, looking at the contribution of women to jazz from the 1940s to the present day.
About 70 venues in Cork City and Kinsale are taking part in the Guinness Music Trail, ensuring a lucrative weekend for musicians and plenty of options for casual punters who may not be going along to the ticketed evening concerts. For instance, the Metropole is the hotel where the festival started back in 1978, and the MacCurtain St venue has music from 2pm Saturday and Sunday.
Cork has a long affinity for house music and the Sir Henry’s club on South Main Street would have rocked plenty tunes from Kenny Dope Gonzalez and Little Louie Vega through the 1990s. It’s the dynamic duo’s second visit to the city, this time as part of a jazz festival that caters well for anyone with a taste for decent club sounds. Expect a roar of recognition if MAW dip into Leeside favourites such as or their remix of Chris Cuevas’ . One potential gripe is that it might all feel a bit early for punters who’ll be leaving the venue at a time when most clubbers are just getting into their stride.
Ms McManus has had quite the climb from her early days in Dublin to becoming one of the best-known DJs in the UK or Ireland. She became a household name through her BBC Radio 1 show in the early Noughties, and has since attained the status of fully-fledged celebrity with podcasts, novels, and slots as a TV presenter. She also knows how to rock a crowd, and her selection of upfront sounds are ideal for the late-night slot as the jazz weekend tips over the edge into full-on fun.
The UK house stalwart — aka Jamie Odell — has long been a popular figure among aficionados in Cork. He’s joined at the impressive venue by Shane Johnson of Fish Go Deep, and Kerry’s own Donal Dineen. There’s another interesting representative of the UK club scene at the same venue on Sunday with Shy One.
While their parents possibly grooved to Masters At Work on Friday, the artist formerly known as Jasper Attlee will be proving that the new generation also have an ear for proper dance music. Some might have scratched their heads when Berlioz became one of the first sell-outs of the festival, but he has taken that most modern route to fame — his tune features on over half a million TikTok videos. An incredible success story for jazz-tinged sounds.
- The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival runs from October 22-26. For full details and bookings, see guinnesscorkjazzfestival.com
