Albarn and Flea get jazz party jumping

MAYBE it wasn’t too surprising that it took a British pop star and an American rocker to jazz things up in Cork last night.

The 2011 Guinness Jazz Festival had a subdued launch earlier at the Bodega Bar in the city centre, with the queue for free food longer than the line for free drink, perhaps reflecting worries by invited guests over the new zero tolerance drink driving laws that came into force on Thursday.

“This is like night of the living dead, boy,” one jazzer remarked, demonstrably immune from the new strictures.

But not long afterwards, things went from 0 to 60 in seconds when Britpop legend, Damon Albarn, and US rocker, Flea, got into the swing of things.

Albarn was in town with a band under the moniker of An Honest Jon’s Chop Up. Co-owned by Albarn, Honest Jon’s is a highly influential west London record label. The Chop Up has been running since 2008 and provides “a riotous feast of music”.

Last night’s offering included Albarn, Afrobeat legend, Tony Allen, and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea, plus hotly tipped Malian singer, Fatoumata Diawara, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Detroit techno/house alchemist Theo Parrish. Well-known names included Kyle Eastwood, son of the legendary Hollywood actor-director Clint Eastwood, who was appearing with his band.

With 50,000 revellers expected in Cork over the weekend, the city was already beginning to reverberate with the sounds of rhythm and blues and jazz by early afternoon.

The pubs, rarely quiet on a Friday, were much fuller, with a very busy weekend anticipated.

Unsurprisingly, there will be plenty for people to enjoy over the weekend, with music available in over 60 venues citywide and in the suburbs, over 90% of it free. More than 1,000 musicians from 37 countries will perform at Ireland’s premier jazz event.

This year, there is an increasing focus on offering fans the opportunity to participate in festival events. People can learn to sing jazz and swing dance, join the samba school and festival choir, play in a big band, and even learn to sing gospel music.

The famous Festival Club — the heart of the festival — is also back and provides jazz, funk and soul on seven stages.