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Jazz Ireland Blog
Welcome to the Jazz Ireland blog, your go-to source for news, reviews, and stories from the Irish jazz scene. From album releases to artist interviews and event highlights, we celebrate the musicians and moments shaping jazz in Ireland. Stay tuned for fresh insights and deep dives into the music we love!
A Milestone Moment: The First Irish Group to Headline the London Jazz Festival Main Stage

This November 19, 2025, marks a groundbreaking moment in Ireland-UK cultural exchange. At the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the EFG London Jazz Festival 2025 will feature the Unreal Cities setting of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land—the first occasion that an Irish ensemble has ever headlined the festival’s main stage.

A Bold and Innovative Adaptation of a Modernist Masterpiece

T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land stands as one of the most influential poems of the 20th century, weaving together myths, cityscapes, and fragmented narratives. This performance, conceived and directed by Irish actor Adrian Dunbar, brings the poem to life through a thrilling interplay of spoken word, film, and music.

The musical score, composed by Irish / British composer Nick Roth, was originally commissioned for the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival in 2015. It remains the only performance of the poem in its 100-year history to include musical accompaniment.

A Fusion of Jazz, Orchestra, and Film

The staging involves four actors, a jazz quintet, film footage, and the powerful accompaniment of the Guildhall Session Orchestra—a collective of alumni from the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama conducted by John Harle—expanding the work to symphonic dimensions.

Voices

  • Anna Nygh
  • Orla Charlton
  • Frank McCusker
  • Stanley Townsend

Musicians

  • Alex Bonney – trumpet & electronics
  • Nick Roth – saxophones
  • Alexander Hawkins – piano
  • Oli Hayhurst – bass
  • Simon Roth – drums

Find out more and book tickets through the official London Jazz Festival event page.

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