Cork Jazz Festival: Friends we’ve Met, and good times we’ve had! 

When asked to consider where is the heart of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, the only answer can be The Metropole Hotel. The Festival Club is based there with ticketed and free events occurring in various rooms and of the Met Bar itself, and even the idea of having any sort of Jazz Festival came from the Metropole’s Marketing Manager Jim Mountjoy in 1978.

Interestingly that is where the current Guinness Cork Jazz Festival chairperson, Fiona Collins, first started her journey with the festival. “When I was in my 20s, I met Bill Johnson who was the chair of Cork Jazz Festival at the time — like so many people in Cork, I still think of him every Jazz Festival and we all hold him so fondly. At the time my friends weren’t particularly into that kind of music so I thought volunteering would help me to hear the music and meet new people.

“I was based mainly in and around The Metropole, helping the bands find the places they need to be, within the Festival Club or around the city if they were performing on the street. It’s still the main function of volunteers, to guide the bands around and sort problems so musicians can just concentrate on the playing.”

When thinking back to her highlight as a volunteer, Fiona gets to namedrop one of the famous names in Jazz. “My personal favourite moment was getting to see Herbie Hancock backstage, I was 10 or so feet from this jazz legend. Some of the other members of the committee talk about meeting Ella Fitzgerald and what a treat that was. There’s so much nostalgia and stories there, it’s been a magical 44 years for people and the city!”

The current Festival director, Mark Murphy, credits Mountjoy’s vision as a touchstone for when he is programming now. “I’ve been working in Cork putting on shows for 20 years and it is one of my favourite weekends of the year, it bookends the festival season before the long winter.

“Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is one of the most established jazz festivals in the world thanks to its founder Jim Mountjoy and all the people that helped to set it up, and while it may have lost some of its identity, I would like to do my very best to put it back on the map and showcase Cork city as a place to visit and check out the festival and city’s atmosphere.

“We have work to do but the foundation and elements are all there to make this festival grow in stature internationally, I firmly believe that.”

Mark is very clear that the festival covers a broad audience and it is important to take that head-on as a programmer. “Jazz covers a wide spectrum and is integral in many of today’s modern styles and ethnic sounds also. Programming at the scale comes down to having a passion for the music and trying to figure out who is available, what the production would cost, are they touring an album like Laufey; touring Europe at the time for example Hermeto Pascoal or have a wider crossover appeal such as New Power Generation.

“Then when you have your anchor artists booked you can then work from there to plot other slots and performances with other artists that complement and hopefully have an appeal for the audience and marketplace. It is always a bit of a lucky dip and lots of issues and setbacks but we endeavour to put on the best shows we can within the confines we have to make it a great festival across the board.”

While Mark concentrates on the anchor artists, Fiona focuses on a parallel element.

“The fringe is my main focus, so people experience the festival without having to actually go to the festival. Everyone has access to the festival without needing to book something or be in a particular place. It’s all there and people can do whatever they want after that.

“Getting people to hear music they don’t normally here on a regular basis, that’s whats it’s all about for me. We take it to schools and streets so people get to have jazz. There’s nothing better than watching a child looking a band in amazement or in awe looking at a very tall well-dressed person carrying a sousaphone!”

Fiona also reflects on how the festival is so important to so many people.

“Last year, we were lucky to be operate a festival (restrictions were only lifted that week) and it was so lovely to meet musicians who hadn’t played in 18 months, there was an excitement to be back and for people to be getting back to not just living our lives but making the most of our lives — and I think the festival is all about that.”

Mark is also clear to point out the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is a team effort.

“As we approach the festival I just want to thank Guinness for their support and all of the crew behind the scenes working ever so hard to put something special together and just wish for everything to go smoothly and for it to be a huge success.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this year and we hope that attendees will recognise the endeavour and come down to share in the festivities and enjoy the atmosphere across the shows and music trails and fringe events.”

For more see  guinnesscorkjazz.com