“Breathe In & Let Go” EP Launch with the Johnny Taylor Trio

It seems fitting that Cork vocalist and composer Laoise Leahy will officially launch her ‘Breathe In & Let Go’ EP with a special performance in the Green Room, Cork Opera House, as part of the Cork Jazz Festival 2025 as it was throughout her artist residency here in 2023 that these songs and sound took shape and flight… 

We’re honoured to welcome the internationally acclaimed trio Niwel Tsumbu, Nelly & Éamonn Cagney to The Pav this Jazz Weekend. Celebrated for their breathtaking interplay of guitar, voice and percussion, this special collaboration blends the finest in African guitar mastery, soulful vocals and world-class hand-drumming for a performance that is both intimate and spellbinding.

Jazz Allstars is a jazz supergroup celebrated for their annual headlining performances at Crane Lane Theatre's Jazz Festival in Cork.

This all-star ensemble features some of the biggest names in international jazz: Ryan Quigley on trumpet, Paul Booth and Derreck 'Doc' O’Connor on saxophone, Paul Dunlea on trombone, Michael Janisch on bass, Scott Flanigan on piano, and Thomas Tomas Gall on drums.

Drummer and composer Diego Joaquin Ramirez brings his sonically adventurous trio Estratos to the Cork Jazz Festival 2025, sharing the stage with his brother, acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and producer Sanche Ramirez (Cork IE/Philadelphia USA), and virtuoso keyboardist and arranger Matt Wong (San Francisco USA).

The seven sons of jazz great Phil Cohran carry on his musical legacy. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are seven brothers from the south side of Chicago. Together they have toured throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and South America playing with everyone from Prince, Mos Def , Mick Jones (The Clash) and Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz). They’ve performed at Coachella, WOMAD AU, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall.

On the October Bank Holiday Jazz weekend 2025 in Cork, relax at Hayfield Manor with some gentle live jazz music and delicious food.

Our annual Jazz Brunch will begin at 1.00pm on Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th October, with our musical entertainment creating the perfect atmosphere with timeless jazz classics. Brunch will commence in Hayfield Manor's signature restaurant, Orchids with a glass of bubbles on arrival.

Belfast‑based pianist Jozef Dani is a world‑class Slovak musician, celebrated for virtuosic playing and original compositions. Dedicating himself to music from an early age, Jozef’s playing is deeply influenced by Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and the late-great Chick Corea. Jozef has toured extensively across Europe and has recorded with the likes of Eugen Vizvary, among many others.

Paul Dunlea (Trombone) is joined by some of the best improvising musicians from UK & Ireland for one of the staples of the Cork JAzz Weekend Calendar. Expect high octane blistering solos from the likes of Ryan Quigley (Trumpet), Paul Booth (Sax), Dereck 'Doc' O'Connor (sax) backed by Michael Janisch (Bass), Scott Flanigan (Keys) and Jamie Murray (Drums).

This is all a part of Cork Heritage Pubs City-Wide Jazz Festival Club 2025, Corks Best Venues & Corks Best Free Gigs

Daniel Herskedal tuba / bass trumpet
Helge Lien piano
Helge Andreas Norbakken percussion

Prepare to be transported into the extraordinary soundworld of Norwegian composer and brass virtuoso Daniel Herskedal. A true innovator of the tuba and bass trumpet, Herskedal’s music is cinematic, deeply expressive, and unlike anything you’ve heard before.

Delicate, profound, and full of lyrical power: British jazz vocalist Norma Winstone and pianist Glauco Venier present themselves in a fascinating duo configuration.

Winstone – a defining voice of European jazz, notably known from the trio Azimuth with John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler – is, at over 80 years of age, more artistically present than ever. As an artist who understands herself not only as a jazz singer but also as a lyricist, Norma brings her poetic sensibility to new compositions by Kit Downes, as well as works by Carla Bley, Ralph Towner, and John Taylor, on the 2024 ECM album Outpost of Dreams, giving each piece a fresh dimension. Glauco Venier, one of Europe’s most compelling pianists, has shared the stage with Norma for many years. He impresses with a deep musical intuition and a playing style that is at once sensitive to every nuance and marked by extraordinary creativity. Their trio album with Klaus Gesing was even nominated for a Grammy in 2007.

Seven piece groove masters, Soul Driven, have been kicking down venue doors all over the country with their hard-hitting, brass-infused mixture of soul, funk, jazz and blues. Whether at the Waterford Spraoi Festival, Guinness Jazz Festival, Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, or Murphy’s Little Big Weekend, the band has yet to fail in their mission to groove audiences with original arrangements of classic tunes and sheer musical virtuosity.

This is all a part of Cork Heritage Pubs City-Wide Jazz Festival Club 2025, Corks Best Venues & Corks Best Free Gigs.

Karen Underwood returns to the Cork Guinness Jazz Festival in the Cork Opera House Green Room celebrating the men that she has loved from birth until today. To All The Men I’ve Loved Before is a tribute to the men and the music who have shaped her life.

Yesterdays – Dorota Konchevska & Myles Drennan

Enjoy Cork Jazz Festival at The Glasshouse with The Underscore Orchestra, Starlight Trio & Velvin Lamont. Rooftop jazz all day.

Celebrate the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2025 with a day of live music at The Glasshouse Rooftop Bar, The Montenotte Hotel. With sweeping views of the city and a line-up of world-class performers, it’s the ultimate destination for an intimate yet vibrant jazz experience this October Bank Holiday Weekend.

The Lounge Quartet have built up a strong following in their Sunday tenure at Walters. Delivering swinging standards from the Great American Songbook, this jazz band is sure to provide the ideal soundtrack to your chill out Sunday.