What’s New
The historic Walls will be reverberating to a non-stop weekend of amazing sounds from the leading exponents of jazz, many making their Derry debuts.
Ex-Rolling Stone bassman Bill Wyman brings his Rhythm Kings (featuring the legendary voice of Georgie Fame) to the Forum for their only Irish appearance this year, while 2010’s breakthrough act, Belgium’s Aeroplane, will be unleashing their psychedelic guitars and catchy bass lines for the first time here.
Derry-Londonderry will get an early taste of a legend of the future when 12-year-old guitar wonderkid Andreas Varady takes to the stage with Dad Bandi, David Lyttle on drums and Michael Janisch on bass. At the other end of the spectrum the virtuoso veterans of the outstanding Bourbon Swing Jazz Band recreate the joyful sounds of Dixieland and Trad for a whole new audience.
Carmen Ghia and the Hot Rods pump up the adrenalin with lashings of riotous rockabilly and swing delivered in true 1950s style. Two ensembles renowned for innovation and creativity, Dunmall/Niblock/Sanders and the John Cervantes Trio, will be making their local debuts too and fans of the immortal Miles Davis will be thrilled by a live performance of his classic album ‘A Kind of Blue’ by the six-piece, narrated by the BBC’s Linley Hamilton.
But that’s just a taste of what’s on offer. Look out too for one of the hits of last year’s Glastonbury Festival, the Mark Black Band with their pulsating fusion of roots, blues, rock, country and Celtic influences; the high-octane Ska Beat; Italian Francesco Turrisi and his unique five-piece Tarab Ensemble (with guest oud virtuoso Haytham Safia); the popular local Ursula McHugh Trio; Tommy Smith a leading perfomer in the Scottish Jazz scene;the Jazz Jam 10 from the City of Hope Collective and the Jazz Buskers, who will be playing the buzzing streets of this most cosmopolitan European city over the weekend.
