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Guinness Cork Jazz Festival unveils impressive lineup for 2024 event

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6 months ago

May 30, 2024

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Guinness Cork Jazz Festival unveils impressive lineup for 2024 event

The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival has revealed its 2024 lineup with a roster that already looks like being the strongest in many years. Announcements had been made earlier about the appearance of American superstars Gregory Porter and Kamasi Washington at Cork Opera House, and Thursday’s reveal added a number of other impressive acts that will appeal to both jazz fans and more casual punters, especially those with an ear for world music.

Fans of Afro-Cuban music are in for a particular treat with Buena Vista All Stars Presents: One Night In Havana, a show that evolved from the success of the project featured in Wim Wenders’ 1995 documentary. The All Stars are led by Ibrahim Ferrer, son of the group’s similarly-titled original vocalist who passed away in 2005, and their set will include hits from the chart-topping album, as well as other Cuban classics.

There’s also very strong African flavour to the October event, with Senegal’s legendary Orchestra Baobab, Malian duo Amadou and Mariam, and female supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique. Seun Kuti – the son of Nigerian Afrobeat innovator Fela Kuti – returns to the festival, having played the Everyman in 2022.

It’s a measure of this year’s event that, even with Triskel Christchurch yet to announce what is always a quality lineup, there’s already plenty on the bill to attract serious jazz fans. As well as Porter and Washington, the latest announcement unveiled Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, and Alina Bzhezhinska’s tribute to Alice Coltrane. The Polish-Ukrainian harpist had thrilled at Triskel in 2019, and this time around will be in the company of American keyboardist Brian Jackson, notable for his collaborations with Gil Scot-Heron on such tracks as ‘The Bottle’ and ‘Winter In America’.

Tipperary pop star Una Healy is teaming up with Luke Thomas for a concert of swing music, and other artists on their way to Cork for the bank holiday weekend of October 24-27 include the Staples Jr Singers, Mary Coughlan, and Jenny Greene.

Festival director Mark Murphy was understandably delighted with the roster he’s managed to put together. “This line-up will resonate worldwide and put us on par with the greatest jazz festivals internationally,” said Murphy. “Gregory Porter sold out two shows at the Cork Opera House over two nights pre-Christmas and is the biggest voice of jazz internationally. Kamasi Washington is an American jazz superstar, and the high-end Afro-Cuban jazz of the Buena Vista All Stars is as good as it gets for a spectacle. And we have more to announce!”

The Cork festival has been attracting top international acts since its founding in 1978, and Guinness has been the title sponsor since 1982. Rory Sheridan, head of partnerships for the stout brand’s parent company, Diageo, said: We expect the festival will once again attract jazz enthusiasts and festival fans from far and near, especially given the fantastic line-up.”

Tickets for the 2024 event go on sale on Friday, May 31, on guinnesscorkjazz.com