A splash of Alabaster, Brandee Younger and more - jazzin' in Cork this weekend

Today in the marlbank podcast a look ahead to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival where Moondog de nos jours Alabaster DePlume, Brandee Younger, top, Laufey and Andy Sheppard are among the acts to descend on Cork And any old excuse above at the …

Published: 25 Oct 2022. Updated: 18 months.

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Today in the marlbank podcast a look ahead to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival where Moondog de nos jours Alabaster DePlume, Brandee Younger, top, Laufey and Andy Sheppard are among the acts to descend on Cork

And any old excuse above at the thought of the black stuff to listen to John Scofied's tune 'The Guinness Spot' (Meant To Be, Blue Note, 1991) named after a Guinness-sponsored venue in Belfast.

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J. D. Hive, Isn't Dinner Lovely Tonight, Traumton ***

The former radio.string.quartet.vienna violinist Johannes Dickbauer is the J. D. in the band name. It's not a high street chain but there is sport as well as honey to be found in the music-making. What a player the fiddle player is. More …

Published: 25 Oct 2022. Updated: 18 months.

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The former radio.string.quartet.vienna violinist Johannes Dickbauer is the J. D. in the band name. It's not a high street chain but there is sport as well as honey to be found in the music-making. What a player the fiddle player is. More grumblingly the album cover art (zany paint, lots of jumping) and Pollyanna questionmark-less album title are off putting.

The piano trio with him really act like accompanists such is the domination of the leader. But pianist Sebastian Schneider makes his presence felt most on 'Dystonian Distraction' and on 'Lost Caravan'. And it would be interesting if more of a role for him is carved out.

'Vaccine Frenzy' is superb, the rich melody enhanced by the virtuoso sound of the leader. So all in all chamber jazz? Yes. But the sound enters also into jazz-rock on the blistering 'Race Against 1.5.'

Certainly if you are a classical music fan and you come here you will find much that won't scare the horses. But some jazz fans won't be necessarily looking for that same feeling at all.

If Isn't Dinner Lovely Tonight has a fault - as it is so frenetic in places the tunes are not ''dinner-jazz'' at all in a Helen Mayhew sense - it is that an out and out improvisation feel takes too much of a back seat given the discipline and tightly coiled construction of the nevertheless attractive pieces.