Irish Examiner view: Cork Jazz Festival promises to be special

Festival is scheduled to run from October 22 to 25, coinciding with the date earmarked for the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions.

The OhnO! Jazzband from the Netherlands at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival Parade in 2019. File picture: Daragh Mc Sweeney

Jazz might be a musical genre that divides like no other, but there is universal agreement that the return of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is a reason to celebrate. 

It is scheduled to run from October 22 to 25, coinciding with the date earmarked for the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions.

As Diageo Ireland head of partnerships Rory Sheridan said: It “is a significant milestone not only for musicians and the events industry who have been one of hardest-hit industries, but also for festivalgoers who have been waiting for some good news".

One of the biggest and longest-running events on the Irish music calendar will bring a much-needed economic boost to Cork City, but it will also herald a return of the vibrant energy that comes with such cultural events.

At its best, jazz is “defiant and ceaselessly inventive”, to quote one critic. 

We might say the same of the live events sector and the musicians who negotiated the worst of a pandemic to bring us what promises to be a very special festival next month.