The Jive is jumpin’ despite the atrocious weather

MORE than 1,000 musicians helped drive the blues away as a rain-drenched Cork had another bumper weekend of jazz and razzmatazz.

Trains, planes and automobiles carried tens of thousands of visitors to the southern capital for a feast of musical entertainment which helped to brighten an otherwise dull bank holiday weekend.

For publicans, hotels and guesthouses, business was booming thanks to the Guinness Jazz Festival’s continuing success.

The sponsors estimate it sold one million pints of their chief product nationally this weekend, and a fair proportion of that figure was sunk by revelers in Cork.

While it is a party weekend for a sizeable number of visitors, the quality line-up of local, national and international stars makes it one of the most attractive events in the music calendar.

Among the most popular acts this year was American organist Jimmy Smith, who also picked up the Jazz Legend award over the weekend.

Dublin singer Honor Heffernan was presented with the Guinness Irish Jazz Award, while the European prize went to French accordionist Richard Galliano who appeared at the Everyman Palace last night.

Israeli-born bassist and composer Avishai Cohen earned the Rising Star Award and New Orleans trumpet player Terence Blanchard was chosen as Personality of the Festival.

With performers from 29 countries taking to the stages around the city and surrounding towns over the weekend, there was plenty variety in the style and quality of the music.

“The biggest danger is very often that, with the poor weather, transport for the musicians might be affected. But there was no such trouble this year, luckily,” a festival spokesperson said last night.

“The pubs have been really busy all weekend and everybody seems to have been enjoying themselves.”

Other popular main stage acts over the weekend included Detroit soul man Amp Fiddler at Cork Opera House, while the legendary alto sax player Bobby Watson gave a highly acclaimed workshop at the Firkin Crane Centre earlier on Saturday.

While most of the visitors to the city will be making their way home to different corners of the country and the globe today, the entertainment continues at a number of venues tonight.