This article is from page 26 of the 2007-05-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 26 JPG
DOONBEG will play host to Irish and international musicians over the June bank holiday weekend when the eight International Jazz Festival comes to town.
The popular annual event attracts as many as 2,000 visitors to Doon- beg with its mix of swing, dixie and jazz and this year’s programme will suit all tastes with performers from Luxembourg, Germany, Poland, England, Guatemala, and Ireland.
Committee member, Philippa Sea- grist, said that the festival has gone from strength to strength over the years.
‘It has been a slow process but we
are getting a good reputation. The festival is not about heavy jazz but a lively jazz mix. We are just final- ising the last details now and we’re hoping for lovely weather like the last Whit weekend,” she said.
Philippa added that all the events are free despite the “miniature” budget and most will take place nightly in local bars before a hoped for “spill” of the crowd onto the streets for the final day.
The festival will officially open in The Igoe Inn on Friday night and there will also be a Saturday after- noon jazz ‘jam’ session.
The festival will have many high- lights this year including Edith van den Heuvel and Dany Schwickerath
with songs from The American Songbook, as well as modern jazz tunes from Horace Silver and Th- elonious Monk.
Manu and his Latino House is a showcase of international musi- cians who have joined with Manu Ramirez from Guatemala to make an exciting Latin-Dance fusion with Afro- Caribbean influences. They have appeared at the Gaiety Theatre Latin Club, The Temple Bar Music Centre, Half Moon Club and the Cork Jazz Festival.
The Portobello Jazzband from London will bring the flavour of New Orleans to west Clare with their six piece Dixie Band.
Flying the Irish flag will be The
Jazzberries a Dublin based duo who have been entertaining their audiences since 2002, playing jazz standards and swing as well as mod- ern tunes with a jazz twist.
The East Coast Jazz Band from Arklow are an exciting five-piece band playing popular jazz, bossa and blues and have appeared at the Cork Jazz Festival for the last 10 Nerd ase
Local band Skazz will be enter- taining with their unique mix of jazz, reggae and ska, fresh from be- ing voted ‘Best Band’ at Cork’s Bal- lydehob Jazz Festival. Limerick’s David Irwin Trio and Spilt Ends will also make highly anticipated appearances.