13th Limerick Jazz Festival to bring vibrant music to Limerick venues this September

John Daly, Ben Boone, Jane Fraser, Mayor John Moran, and Rory Keane pictured at the launch of the 13th Limerick Jazz Festival

The 13th edition of the Limerick Jazz Festival was officially launched this week, bringing vibrant music to venues across Limerick from Thursday, September 26 to Sunday, September 29

Limerick Jazz Society, now in its 43 year of operation, has gone from strength to strength, growing not only its audience but a network of local players through both its youth and adult education programmes and Mayor Moran commented on the achievement of the Society to maintain the Festival throughout Covid-19.

Mayor Moran situated the Jazz Festival, which runs from Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th September, in the broader, vibrant cultural scene in Limerick, commenting that the scene did not always get the wider coverage and support it deserved; and spoke of the importance of the 4 days of live jazz in the broader context of not only developing live music all year round for the people of Limerick City and County to experience but growing and shaping the overall development of Limerick.  

Highlighting the ongoing support of Limerick City and County Council, and the Arts Council, Mayor Moran congratulated the Festival Committee on their work and wished the Festival all the best.

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John Daly, Limerick Jazz Festival, thanked the Mayor for his kind words and acknowledged the ongoing hard work and commitment of committee to put the Festival on every year.

This year’s Festival, John continued, has a particular focus on the new, younger generation of jazz players, and in a major coup for the City, the Festival will feature the upcoming UK saxophonist, Emma Rawicz.  

Rawicz’s art and development at the age of 24 has already secured significant plaudits and international recognition, winning the Jazz Newcomer of the Year at the UK Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2022 and being a finalist in BBC Young Musician Jazz Award in the same year and touring extensively throughout Europe.

John also flagged that the Festival would see the long overdue return to Limerick of Andreas Varady and his Trio.   Andreas, for a young man, has a long history with Limerick having played as part of the Jazz Workshop in his youth before his career took off internationally going onto be managed by Quincy Jones.

John also welcomed Benjamine Boone to the launch.  Ben, on a return visit to the City, is an American saxophonist and composer, a much-lauded Professor of Music at California State University Fresno.  During 2022 to 2023, Ben was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music and played with the Limerick Jazz Workshop and recorded an album ‘Confluence’ which draws not only on local talent (John Daly, Joe O’Callaghan, Dan Bodwell and Jane Fraser – who sang at the launched backed by guitarist Rory Keane) but Irish themes with interpretations of “She Moved Through the Fair” and “On the Banks of the Shannon”.  The band will be re-united for two gigs at the Festival, which will see the Irish launch of the album.

Full details of the Festival Programme, which includes gigs with Chris Guilfoyle Band and Aleka; Five to Two and Peter Curtin DJ Set; the Jazz Trail a series of free gigs throughout the City on Saturday lunchtime and a Brazilian Music Night with Kasia Eliasz and Her Band can be found at on the Limerick Jazz Festival website.