Anything But The Jazz - to help Cork Simon 

For many of us, heading out for the October Bank Holiday in Cork will be a chance to knock off from work and responsibilities, get suited and booted, and enjoy some of the best in music from around the world, as the Guinness Cork Jazz Weekend marks the height of the city’s cultural calendar.

In recent years, for many of us, it must also feel like a bit of respite from the low, consistent background hum of anxieties that affect us all, as each of us negotiates living in an Ireland, and a world, that’s undergoing multiple concurrent crises - including issues with housing, healthcare, and climate change, arguably not helped by the policies of successive Irish governments.

The aforementioned issues directly face people in Cork and beyond who are dealing with homelessness or housing difficulty, facing uncertain living and sleeping situations heading into the winter, in a year already pockmarked by the impacts and effects of “extreme” weather events like Storm Babet.

It might all seem like a bit much for one person to sit and process individually, but if you’d like to get out and about this Jazz Weekend, and throw a few bob into Cork Simon, who do sterling work to assist people dealing with homelessness into emergency, housing and personal development supports, you might call into the Anything But Jazz gigs, happening Friday at trad outpost An Spailpín Fánach on South Main Street, and Saturday at local rock landmark Fred Zeppelin’s, on Parliament Street.

“I guess it started with me and my partner, Queenie O'Sullivan, who is an artist and we often work together,” says Seán Masterson, co-organiser along with his bandmates in idiot., self-described as a ‘flaccid Cork punk band’. “We were just talking, and we thought it would be really cool if there was an alternative event during the Jazz. We came up with a few different names, y'know: Anything But Jazz, Not the Jazz, F**k the Jazz... we decided to leave that last one off.

“It seemed like a great idea, but it'd be great if it had a bigger purpose, and we were just thinking that it's a cooler time of the year, and there's a big change going on with the weather and it'd be great if we could raise awareness, and a little bit of money - hopefully we get a bit, but whatever we can - and do some good with it. Everything that we're making, all the proceeds, are going towards Simon Community who I'm a big fan of, and would love to work more with them.”

As one might imagine, the Jazz is a massive operation for the city’s venues, as an influx of thousands of extra tourists, casual revellers and lapsed music aficionados converge on Cork for an event that’s become a major selling point, and a longstanding example of live music as a civic social and economic good.

So, landing venues like the Spailpín, a place that will be milling downstairs as more heads seek out its trad sessions while on the Jazz trail, or Fredz, where many of the city’s heavy-music denizens will be seeking a spot away from the jazzmatazz out on the main drags - see also, the well-remembered Jazz Funeral weekenders - is a minor miracle in and of itself, really.

“I just went in, like, during the summer, maybe June or July. The Jazz was ages away, and Fredz were very, very welcoming to the idea. I think they loved the idea, and the Spailpín had the Thursday available. There wasn't too much wrangling going on.”

What did get wrangled together, however, was a fairly substantial line-up of talent from around Cork and Ireland, spread across both nights of Anything But Jazz.

Friday at An Spailpín Fánach sees co-organisers idiot. joined by local math-rockers Daz-Gak!, rockers The Luminesc, and a solo set from musical polymath Dan Walsh in his Fixity guise, something of a coup in itself considering he’s usually one of the busiest men in the city of a Jazz weekend.

Joining idiot. on the Saturday at Fred Zeppelin’s, meanwhile, are songwriter The Banshee, Dublin indie-poppers CABL, Dublin punx Slightly Dishevelled, and spectacularly-monikered Cork post-rockers Ruined Family Vacation.

Masterson speaks of the job of assembling the billing, and hints at ambitions for future editions, or events in a similar vein.

“I'm absolutely delighted with the lineup, because we approached everyone, in the sense that any band we've seen, enjoyed or even heard of, was asked, and we've ended up with an absolutely massive lineup. We had to narrow it down a bit, but also, a lot of people are just busy.

“I have hopes and dreams for next year, to balance it out a bit in terms of maybe even bigger acts, and bigger venues, if this goes well and it has a bit more of a name, and even more money will go towards Simon Community. For me, this is just a start and I really hope it goes well, and we can continue doing it.”

The work that Cork Simon does all year round in mitigating the effects of the housing and homelessness crises cannot be underestimated - providing emergency accommodation and food, helping those in need available of short-term transitional and high-support housing, and assisting with long-term supports like employment and work placement programmes, as well as providing recreational and creative activities.

“Running this during the Jazz Festival really isn't a knock against the Jazz. I love the Jazz, but it all feels like a big fancy weekend for Cork where everyone puts on their best boots, and the new suits, and it feels like... for these events, if we could just dedicate a little bit of our time and money to other Cork citizens who are struggling during that time, that'd be a good habit to get into for these big city events.

“I feel like a lot of people, walking down the street and someone's asking them for money, or they look unwell, and you just don't know what to do, because like you're not taught anything about this in school but Cork Simon know what they're doing. They're an organised group who dedicate their lives to this every day.

“You can't give up your life to do something like that, and we all can't, obviously, it's good to raise awareness for the people who are doing that, and money for the people who are doing that. They're a good cause, and good for Cork, good for people.”

Anything But Jazz happens on Thursday October 26 at An Spailpín Fánach, North Main Street with Fixity, Daz-Gak, The Luminesc and idiot. appearing; and Friday October 27 at Fred Zeppelin’s on Parliament Street, with CABL, Slightly Dishevelled, idiot., The Banshee and Ruined Family Vacation.

Doors on both nights are at 7pm, and entry is on a pay-what-you-can donation basis, with all money going directly to Cork Simon Community.

If you can’t make either gig, you can make a donation online at https://www.gofundme.com/f/AnythingButJazzCorkSimon.