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.

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

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.

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.

A very special sit-down concert for discerning ears, kindly hosted by Lavit Gallery.

Lewis Barfoot is a London-Irish singer, songwriter, musician, actress and dancer based in Cork. In 2024, she formed the Lewis Barfoot Jazz Quintet, making their debut at the 2024 Cork Jazz Festival, with a return appearance confirmed for 2025—this time joined by French trumpeter Julien Silvand. In addition to her musical projects, Lewis teaches blues dancing in Cork City and continues to explore the fertile ground between music, movement, and storytelling. 

We’re thrilled to welcome Derek ‘Doc’ O’Connor & Band to The Pav this Jazz Weekend. One of Ireland’s premier saxophonists, Doc has performed with international icons including Van Morrison, Chaka Khan, Wet Wet Wet, Bob Geldof, Imelda May, and Jeffrey Osborne — and now he brings his unmatched musicianship to Cork for a show you won’t forget.

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.

Adrian Younge is a visionary multi-instrumentalist, Emmy Award-winning composer and champion of analog artistry.

At Linear Labs, his fully analog studio in Los Angeles, he crafts immersive works that bridge past and present. His latest release, São Paulo, reflects the profound influence of Brazilian music on his sound, complementing his collaborations with Brazilian legends like João Donato and Marcos Valle in the Jazz Is Dead series. As he prepares to release Something about April III, composed entirely in Portuguese, Younge continues to redefine contemporary music, preserving analog humanity in a digital world with unparalleled depth and authenticity.

Pianist Colin Vallon joins forces with two of Europe’s most prominent and original musicians: Matthieu Michel, whose unmistakable sound on the trumpet could by itself be the definition of beauty, and drums wizard Jorge Rossy, one of the most influential musicians today. The repertoire oscillates between free improvisation, own compositions, and older gems by Don Cherry, Thelonious Monk and Gabriel Fauré, amongst others.

MAKE IT THE MET THIS JAZZ WEEKEND!

Strictly an Over 23s Event

The original home of jazz in Cork, The Metropole Hotel, returns in 2025 as the beating heart of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival with its iconic Jazz Festival Club.

From Friday 24th to Sunday 26th October, experience an unforgettable weekend filled with rhythm, soul, and style across multiple stages under one roof. Expect a vibrant blend of swing, funk, blues, and groove from top Irish and international artists – all set in the electric atmosphere only The Met can offer.

Founded in 1970 in Dakar, Orchestra Baobab is more than just a band—it is an institution, a cornerstone of African music. Initially a club formation inspired by the Afro-Cuban fever that swept through West Africa, Baobab quickly forged a unique style, blending Mandinka, Wolof, and Serer sounds with Latin rhythms and timeless elegance. From their first golden era to their remarkable resurgence in the early 2000s, led by Nick Gold (Buena Vista Social Club), the band has continuously reinvented its legacy, captivating each generation with its hypnotic groove.

A trio of international talents has converged in Cork, infusing the city’s music scene with a vibrant, global sound. Niwel Tsumbu, a celebrated figure in Ireland’s world music community, commands the stage with his virtuosic guitar work, seamlessly fusing Congolese soukous with jazz and flamenco. Nelly Cottoy channels her Trinidadian upbringing, delivering powerful Caribbean stories and reggae rhythms that inject an infectious energy into every performance. Completing the rhythm section is Diego Ramirez, an internationally acclaimed drummer and composer who bridges Irish jazz roots with the pulsating heart of Latin beats.