Weather blues fail to dampen jazz spirit

The threat of driving winds and torrential rain showers could have given people the blues and kept them away, but the Cork Guinness Jazz festival events were as packed as ever as revellers happily went ‘Singin’ in the Rain’.

The festival got off to the perfect start with a highly successful opening back in its spiritual home at the Metropole Hotel after a number of years of trying other venues. That was followed by a packed house at the Everyman for Courtney Pine.

Saturday night’s sellout concert by Chic and Nile Rodgers at the Cork Opera House was always going to be a momentous occasion for fans, but it was made even more so when the world-renowned musician and songwriter announced that very day had been special for him because he had just been given a cancer-free diagnosis.