Rob Luft

Hugh Buckley

Jimmy Smyth

Tourism Ireland

Belfast Telegraph

Award winning young pianist Nils Kavanagh launches his highly anticipated debut album, "No Expectations". Audiences will journey through Nils’ unique upbringing, rooted in the north-west of Ireland’s mystic landscapes and joyous fellowship, while also inviting listeners to explore the sense of unity and introspection present in Denmark and broader Scandinavia. Home, joy, family, mythology, folk music, loss and longing are all key to the music, with an overarching focus on warm melody and musical storytelling.

Rising star on the UK and Irish scene, Nils Kavanagh is already making his mark with a unique compositional voice and a fearless approach to improvisation. Winner of Young Irish Jazz Musician of the Year award 2022, and BBC Young Jazz Musician finalist in 2024, the pianist has already been making waves as a promising young musician. With his debut release, Nils is poised to elevate his career as an artist and bandleader. Having a six-date Irish tour under their belt already in 2023, the band is ready to bring this new release on the road.

Nils Kavanagh - Piano
Marcus Baber - Bass
Sam Green - Drums

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London-based saxophonist Leo Richardson, widely recognised to be one of the UK's leading Jazz Tenor Saxophonists, is best known for his honest, straight-ahead, contemporary hard-bop style. His most significant influences include John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon, Horace Silver and Art Blakey.

Joining Leo is Glengormley native Darren Beckett, who was Madeleine Peyroux's drummer for 9 years and tours with Brandon Flowers of 'The Killers' playing on and touring his 2 solo albums, and is credited as co-writer on the lead single 'Can't Deny My Love' on Brandon Flowers' number one charting second solo album, 'The Desired Effect'. He has toured with Lauryn Hill, Beth Orten, Mercury Rev, Sinead O'Conner, and most recently toured in the US with Amen Dunes, and LA singer songwriter Bedouine. He has worked with notable producers Daniel Lanois (U2) Stuart Price (Madonna, The Killers) Mark Platti (David Bowie) Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell). 

He is a member of New York Indie rock band Ambulance Ltd who released their debut record on TVT records to global acclaim.

Since returning to the U.K. he has been very active also on the UK and European jazz scene, playing with Jason Rebello, Gilad Atzmon, Jim Mullen, Claire Martin, Norma Winstone, and Damon Brown. Also very active in the studio scene in Dublin and London playing on film/tv soundtracks.

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Howl Quartet is an award winning London based project whose dynamic, expressive music focuses heavily on storytelling through melodic composition and improvisation. Following the successes of their first two releases, Howl Quartet’s third album, Night Song, is set for release in 2025. Formed of old friends and collaborators, this co-led acoustic quartet emerged in 2017 through a passion for developing a collective sound. Taking inspiration from artists such as Endangered Blood, The Bad Plus and Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, there is an innate freedom and creative intensity to their music.

Having performed at the EFG London Jazz Festival and Vortex Jazz Club, Howl Quartet’s debut album, Life As We See It, was released in early 2021 and has achieved over 103,000 streams on Spotify alone. Their second album, Airglow, was released on the 14th July 2023 to critical acclaim. According to UK Vibe, “The band combine a fiery, passionate energy with a thoughtful, intelligent wistfulness and the results are utterly compelling.’

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This band, featuring some of London's most in demand musicians, is out on tour to promote their new album “Stars and Sand” which is being released with Glasgow based Vibe Collide records. The album has been produced in collaboration with Nostalgia 77 (Ben Lamdin) and the psychedelic, dub aesthetic of the production deepens and enhances the atmosphere of the album and that's the experience we want to give the listener live! Expect deep grooves inspired in equal parts by traditional North African music, Soul Jazz and Berlin in the 70s. This is joyous, life affirming music. Deceptively simple, deeply melodic and with a healthy dose of the other worldly. 

Lineup:

James Allsopp- tenor saxophone and mellotron
Chris Batchelor- trumpet
Tom Herbert- electric bass
Zands Duggan- percussion
Dave Storey- drums

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Composer and guitarist Orlando Molina steps into the spotlight with the release of his debut album Autorretrato en Tres Colores (Self-Portrait in Three Colours) — a sweeping, seven-track reflection on migration, transformation, and the emotional terrain that lies between.

Blending contemporary jazz with the vibrant folk traditions of Latin America, Molina crafts an intricate and deeply personal sonic portrait. Each composition is a chapter of his life, composed during different stages of his journey from Venezuela to Ireland, and informed by the emotional tension between departure and arrival, longing and belonging. With striking clarity, the album reveals the quiet resilience and joy found in cultural hybridity and self-discovery.

At the core of Autorretrato en Tres Colores is a powerful international collaboration. Joining Molina are some of the most distinctive voices in jazz and world music: Matthew Jacobson (drums, Ireland), Scott Flanigan (piano & rhodes, Northern Ireland), Cormac O’Brien (double bass, Ireland), and Steve Welsh (saxophones, USA). The album also features exceptional contributions from guest artists Miguel Siso (Venezuela), Boris Schmidt (Luxembourg), Pablo Contreras (Chile), Freddy Adrian (Venezuela), Gilbert Mansour (Lebanon), Alicia Garcia (Mexico), and Eric Chacón (Venezuela).

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Fabian Willmann and his trio with Jeff Ballard on drums and Arne Huber on bass are "casually celebrating the beauty of melody" (thatjazz).

They strip the music down to the essentials, yet with something to say in every breath, devoid of any chatter, redundancy, or showing off.

All About Jazz compare their "spaciously presented pieces to the groundbreaking trio work of Sonny Rollins in the '50s and Ornette Coleman in the '60s" and describe their debut album Balance as "one of the most unassuming albums of 2022, that may end up being as one of the Best of the Year as well."

This promises to be an enthralling evening with one of the modern greats of jazz drums, Jeff Ballard, playing with this special trio.

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Nigel Mooney, widely regarded as one of Ireland's leading jazz singers and guitarists, is back for his annual Christmas show at Scott's Jazz Club on 12th of December. A charismatic figure on the Dublin jazz and blues scenes since the early 1980's, his Gripewater Blues Band spearheaded the blues movement in Ireland and drew many fans of both jazz and the blues. A self-taught musician, Mooney was influenced by the blues from an early age and his hard-bop style of guitar playing is expressive and melodic with a bluesy groove. He possesses a warm and rich tenor voice and has an almost flawless sense of pitch.

For this welcome return to Scott's Jazz Club, Nigel will be joined by our in-house organist Scott Flanigan, with Dominic Mullan on drums.

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The Scott's Jazz Club annual Christmas bash! Santa has chosen some of Ireland's top jazz players to take to the stage and perform jazz versions of iconic Christmas songs. Joining Scott, Rohan Armstrong and Andrew McCoubrey will be the award-winning singer Katharine Timoney, and Scrooge himself, Kyron Bourke, amongst others!

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The Scott's Jazz Club annual Christmas bash! Santa has chosen some of Ireland's top jazz players to take to the stage and perform jazz versions of iconic Christmas songs. Joining Scott, Rohan Armstrong and Andrew McCoubrey will be the award-winning singer Katharine Timoney, and Scrooge himself, Kyron Bourke, amongst others!

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By incredibly popular demand, our Christmas show runs for a special family-friendly daytime show at 2:30pm! The other two Christmas concerts have sold out, so now’s your chance to get tickets.

The Scott's Jazz Club annual Christmas bash! Santa has chosen some of Ireland's top jazz players to take to the stage and perform jazz versions of iconic Christmas songs. Joining Scott, Rohan Armstrong and Andrew McCoubrey will be the award-winning singer Katharine Timoney and saxophonist Ciaran Wilde.

PLEASE NOTE: Kyron Bourke will not be appearing for this show.

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A welcome return for a session musician supergroup! Some of the finest musicians in this country are perhaps ones you haven’t heard often in a jazz concert setting, and bassist Carl Harvey is no exception. Despite having played across the world with acts such as Curtis Stigers, KT Tunstall and Billy Ocean, Carl’s first love is jazz and we’re delighted that he is bringing this exciting ensemble back to Scott’s Jazz Club.

Joining Carl on bass will be drummer Eamonn Ferris, who has worked with Van Morrison and The Waterboys, and who recently appeared with Jozef Dani in January; and guitarist Steve McClenahan, who is no stranger to the Scott’s Jazz Club stage having played with Scott Flanigan’s Electric Band. Scott will make up the fourth member of this illustrious group on keyboards. Each musician is a fantastic player in his own right, and the combination of these four exciting players makes an ensemble to remember.

Expect tunes by Herbie Hancock, Billy Cobham, Weather Report, Stevie Wonder and Chick Corea in what promises to be a fascinating concert.

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An accomplished London-based guitarist and composer, Jakub Klimiuk takes his quintet on tour with a brand new set of material, a follow-up to the critically acclaimed album ‘(un)balanced’, described by The Guardian as “a rare mix of New York edginess and Scandinavian avant-jazz impressionism.”
Expect a thrilling combination of scripted forms and improvised sections, interweaving melodic compositions with adventurous sonic explorations, “music which could engage and transcend genre boundaries,” according to UK Jazz News.
The band has appeared regularly at major UK jazz venues including PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho, Vortex Jazz Club, The Verdict, and has collaborated with leading artists such as saxophonist Mark Lockheart. The quintet has also toured widely across Europe, performing in cultural hubs like Berlin and Brussels.

“The future of jazz is in safe hands” - UK Jazz News

“A hugely accomplished guitarist with a formidable technique and also a composer of impressive maturity and vision.” - The Jazz Mann

“He is not only an excellent guitarist but also an accomplished compositional talent.” - Jazz Forum

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Released in 1969, In a Silent Way marked a pivotal moment in jazz history, introducing a fusion of jazz, rock, and ambient sounds. Featuring an all-star lineup—including Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, and Joe Zawinul - the album is a masterclass in mood and texture. With its electric instrumentation and atmospheric approach, In a Silent Way laid the foundation for the jazz fusion movement, influencing generations of musicians. 

Paying tribute to this iconic concert will be some of Dublin’s most eclectic improvisers: Tommy Halferty on guitar, Darragh O’Kelly on keyboards, Derek Whyte on bass and Brendan Doherty on drums.

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Håkan Broström is a renowned Swedish saxophonist, composer, and arranger celebrated for his significant contributions to jazz and contemporary music.
 
Already at the age of 8, Hakan began to play the piano, and when he was 15, he started playing tenor saxophone and Gute. One year later, he was playing alto saxophone in different blues bands in Motala and baritone sax with the Motala Big Band.
 
Over the years, Broström has led several quartets, collaborating with notable musicians such as Bobo Stenson, Esbjörn Svensson, Palle Danielsson and Jacob Karlzon. He also led a quartet featuring American pianist Joey Calderazzo and, on occasion, drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. As a sideman, Broström has worked with prominent artists like Eje Thelin, Ulf Wakenius and Swedish music icon Peps Persson.

Håkan Broström expanded his creative pursuits by forming his own big band, the New Places Orchestra. This endeavor showcased his talent for blending traditional and modern jazz elements. He also collaborated with prominent Swedish artists, including Viktoria Tolstoy, Tommy Körberg and Ebbot Lundberg further solidifying his reputation as a versatile and innovative musician.

For this special outing at Scott’s Jazz Club, Håkan will be joined by the Scott’s Jazz Club house band of Scott Flanigan, piano; Rohan Armstrong, bass; James Anderson, drums.

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Zak Irvine is a Belfast-based jazz pianist and bandleader originally from Bangor. He is currently studying a BMus in Music at Queen’s University. With a foundation in classical music, Zak has honed his piano technique from a young age, developing a polished and versatile style. Over the years he has transitioned into jazz, discovering a new passion for improvisation and cultivating a keen ear for complex harmonies and spontaneous creativity. Now a prominent figure in Northern Irelandʼs arts scene, he brings a unique voice to local bands, blending classical roots with jazz influences to create distinctive sounds. Through regular residencies at the Courthouse in Bangor, Bert’s Jazz Bar and collaborations with other artists, he continues to push musical boundaries, exploring new genres and creating original compositions.

Zak draws a lot of his inspiration from legendary pianists in Robert Glasper, Shaun Martin, Herbie Hancock and Jazz producer Kiefer. Playing lots of covers from these artists he will also be playing some of his own compositions live for the first time!

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