4 day jazz fest is hotting up

Celebrating its 45th year, the 2023 Guinness Cork Jazz Festival promises its biggest programme yet with some top acts having been announced and an extra date added!

This year’s jazz festival runs from 26-30 October and follows on from the huge success last year’s festival which smashed all records attracting over 100,000 visitors to Cork city.

Among the headliners performing on Leeside this October bank holiday weekend are Kurt Elling, Corienne Bailey Rae, Morcheeba, Matthew Halsall, and R&B star Macy Gray.

Macy Gray will headline at the Cork Opera House on 26 October where she will perform from her extensive repertoire of classic hits as well as treating the audience to some showstoppers from her new album ‘The Reset’.

Fresh from a busy summer of headlining major music and jazz festivals all over Europe, English electronic group Morcheeba will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their first album with a gig in Cork Opera House on 28 October.

The same venue will play host to Grammy Award winner Corrine Bailey Rae on 29 October. She'll be showcasing her new album, which is due out this September, just weeks before the festival. Fellow Grammy winner Kurt Elling, renowned for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight, will play The Everyman Theatre on 27 October.

Also at the Cork Opera House over the weekend are family band Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, regarded by many as the greatest brass band of them all, who will showcase classics of hip hop over 50 years.

Trumpeter, producer, and composer Matthew Halsall, who some say is redefining spiritual jazz for the next generation, will play The Everyman on 27 October. Fred Wesley, former band leader of James Brown will play the iconic theatre on 29 October.

A venue favourite, Live at St Luke’s will be back this year, with a quality lineup of intimate gigs to be announced in the coming weeks.

Commenting on the programme, Festival Director Mark Murphy said: “This year, we're bringing in bigger acts, we have more venues and more ticketed shows at each venue. We're also extending the Guinness Music Trail throughout Cork city's vibrant venues, bars and restaurants, which provides a platform for local artists and an immersive experience for festival-goers.”

As always, there will also be a Big Fringe of mainly free music that sees international and local big brass bands perform around the city, organised by the local Cork jazz festival committee.

The Metropole Hotel, the original home of Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, will once again host the Metropole Festival Club with an extended programme of performances.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Friday and attendees are encouraged to book early to save disappointment, with some headline acts expected to sell out quickly. For the latest news and updates, including line up announcements, fringe events, the music trail, and more, see guinnesscorkjazz.com or follow the festival on @GuinnessCorkJazz. More acts will be announced in the coming months.