At a glance, free stuff to enjoy on Cork Jazz Festival music trail 

The packed schedule of ticketed concerts that occurs during the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival draws a lot of attention and audiences but walking around the city during the weekend and following various tips is another great way to soak in the atmosphere. Here is an overview of options selected from the Festival Trail. Please note most of these bands play several times in various venues and all listings are liable to change, it is advisable to check each venue’s social media in advance.

There is one recurring event happening this year that captures the spirit of any jazz festival worth its salt, and that is an open jazz jam session. They will be taking place in 115 Café & Wine Bar (Oliver Plunkett Street), with a house band playing 9pm to 11pm on Thursday and Friday, and 10pm to midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Anyone is welcome to join in for a song or two, the band is led by Liam O’Brien who runs the jazz jam session there every Tuesday all year round.

Starting with specific times and venues, we’ll begin on Thursday, in The Belle Vue (Old Youghal Road) who will have The Two Tones, who play classic tunes and loved songs with piano and guitar at 9pm… this weekend Anth Kaley, one of the bar’s owners, will be leaving the equipment and piano set up for the whole weekend to jam with any musicians who want to to play! Call in any time and there could be live jazz music. Later that night at 11.50pm in The Crane Lane (Phoenix St), Chief Keegan, an instrumental funk band from Dublin, will be playing.

* For my main tip for Friday it’s hard to look past Mik Pyro and his band, who appears at Coughlan’s (Douglas Street) at 7.30pm. The former frontman of Republic Of Loose has lost none of his bombast, charisma or musical ability so a chance to see him in such an intimate venue should not be missed.

A completely different option in terms of volume and tempo will be happening in Farol (Sundays Well) from 8pm where Dee Power will be bringing her keyboard and seemingly limitless repertoire of songs to play while people enjoy some tapas, Pinchos and other similar dishes with wine, helping people start off the long weekend in a casual way.

An Sibín (Prince Street) which has been astutely managed to become one of the cosiest spaces in the city to enjoy live music and they will have their ‘Rambling House’ traditional Irish music session from 9pm. Further on up the road The Wild Orange Country Club will be in the Old Bear (Barrack Street) from 9.30pm; the sound and atmosphere they create is much more than what you’d normally expect from a duo. Known for their rich harmonies and high-energy sound, they play country and folk-styled covers, from modern hits to timeless classics.

* Starting in the afternoon on Saturday at 2pm in Henchys (St Luke’s Cross), Jazz99, the ‘beachside jazz trio’ featuring members Sam Clague (guitar), Ultan Lavery (organ) and James Christie (drums), will be bringing plenty of funk and groove for people to build up their strength for a long day of ‘jazzin’.

Just down the hill then at 5pm in Corrigans (MacCurtain Street) will be The Hightown Crows. They brought their “Raw Rock and Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Punk Rockabilly, Country Trash, and Filthy Garage Rock” to Cork for last year’s Jazz Festival, made a huge impact, and garnered many fans. At the same time in The Woodford (Paul Street), the legendary Buck Taylor will be taking to the stage. Often referred to as “Ireland’s answer to the king of soul, James Brown”, Buck’s energy and live shows are legendary. Originating in Louisville, Kentucky, he brought all of his home environment’s musical influences to Ireland and has been living here for nearly 20 years, building on those foundations.

One of the must-see bands at this time of year is always Pontious Pilate & The Naildrivers, who play an energetic mix of ska and punk. While originally purely a covers band they have been introducing their own original material in recent years, and they will be in Crane Lane Theatre (Phoenix Street) at 7pm. At the same time The Bodega (Cornmarket Street) will have The Light Runners, a delightful reggae band based in Cork but with members from around the globe, who never fail to play a gleeful upbeat set of Jamican-ainspired music. Somewhat in the same vein at 8pm in Gallaghers on MacCurtain Street, Skazz will be performing their usual high energy and honed set of original ska from the 60s, with skanking brass and tight rhythms, solid beats and delicious vocal harmonies, riffs and licks, the music of the early Ska & Rocksteady greats, such as the Skatalites, Roy Ellis, Toots & the Maytals.

Rob Harley will be playing in The Gables (Douglas Street) at 10pm. He constantly wows audiences with his soulful vocals and electrifying guitar playing, playing a broad range of music from ballads to blues rock, and covers all the ground between the two. Later that night around midnight in Poor Relation (Parnell Place) one of my favourite ensembles in the city, The Cork City Organ Group, will be performing classics from the jazz organ era, with forays into funk and psychedelia spheres of music too.

* Moving onto Sunday, Laura Kayte, a London-based Cork-born singer, will be the opening proceedings in Bru Bar (MacCurtain Street). While soul and jazz are two key elements of what she does, her years of experience as a session singer means she dips into many genres. She will hopefully be playing some songs from her eagerly awaited debut album.

The renowned vocalist Laoise Leahy, who was the Jazz Artist in residence at Cork Opera House in 2023, will be playing a very special afternoon concert in The Pavilion (Carey’s Lane). She will be delving deep into jazz, soul and electronica with the Johnny Taylor Trio as her collaborators. The quartet will be trading ideas, motifs and songs as they reach deep into the potential of music for both an audience and musicians.

The Papa Zitas will be bringing their Motown-inspired Big Band sounds to the Old Oak (Oliver Plunkett Street) at 5pm. This ten-piece band never fails to get the floor dancing to their dynamic takes of classics of the 1960’s Motown classics. With three vocalists, an exuberant brass section and thundering rhythm section, they always pack a punch.

Stuart Wilde will be bringing his driving Rock and Roll stylings to Preachers (Washington Street) on Sunday at 10pm. Expect plenty of guitar riffs, choruses and classic songs.

* If people still have energy on Monday (which will be the fifth day of the weekend!) there is a very interesting duo - Cormac MacCarthy on piano and Hugh Dillon on guitar - playing in Coughlan’s at 6pm.

Other than that I suggest considering two stalwarts of the Cork gigging scene. The inimitable Joe Mac, formerly of the Dixies, will be holding court in Cantys (Pembroke Street) and after that I’d be suggesting Hank & Ray’s legendary Bluegrass & Americana session in Charlies Bar (Union Quay) from 9pm. They’ve been a fixture on this session trail for nearly three decades. The Roaring Forties, who always play a lot over the whole weekend (I count 13 advertised shows for the 2024 festival), will be my last suggested gig when they play Brick Lane (South Main Street) at 9.30pm, with their combination of polished showmanship and brilliant swing music.

• Pick up your copy of the Downtown Cork Jazz Festival magazine, free with The Echo today.