Sunday July 30th
Hotter Than July
Smithfield, Dublin, from 3pm, Adm free improvisedmusic.ie
Now in its fourth year, Hotter Than July is Dublin’s equivalent of the Rio carnival, a chance for the city’s denizens, of all shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds, to take to the streets, shake whatever we have to shake, and celebrate our new diversity. It’s a mark of how much has changed in Ireland over the last decade that this inspiring one-day free festival can field a strong and varied line-up of world music acts, most of whom are actually based in Ireland. Among this year’s “new Irish” are Palestinian singer Ruba Shamshoum, Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu and Malian blues band Manden Express, while the top-notch visitors roster includes Ghanaian master drummers Kakatsitsi, Afro-Colombian hipsters La Chiva Gantiva and Taiseiyo Taiko Drummers from Japan. Diverse, inclusive and family-friendly, Hotter Than July is happening in the open air on Smithfield square, so pray for sun, plan for rain and party like there’s no work on Monday morning.
Monday July 31st
Beneath the Underdog
Arthurs, Thomas St, Dublin, 9pm, €10 arthurspub.ie
Bassist, bandleader, composer, agitator, surrealist author: Charles Mingus was the sort of musician for whom the phrase “force of nature” was intended, and, nearly 40 years after his death, his music continues to assert a major influence on jazz. Beneath the Underdog – named for Mingus’s stream-of-consciousness autobiography – is a powerful Dublin quintet led by bassist John Quearney with saxophonist Richie Buckley, guitarist Hugh Buckley, pianist Cian Boylan and drummer Cote Calmet. As Mingus would have it, you’d “better get it in your soul”.
Tuesday, August 1st
Modern Irish Quartet
Arthurs, Thomas St, Dublin, 9pm, €10 arthurspub.ie; also Limerick Library (Wednesday 2nd) and Ballina Arts Centre (Friday 4th)
Vibraphonist Tony Miceli is a regular visitor to Ireland and long-standing associate of drummer and Limerick Jazz Festival organiser John Daly. The Philadelphia-based musician and educator is in Limerick this week to teach at the 10th Anniversary International Vibes Jazz Workshop, but he is also taking to the road for a short tour with a group that includes Daly, saxophonist Michael Buckley and bassist Dave Redmond. Feel the vibes.
Thursday, August 3rd
Anders Bergcrantz & F-JOB
The Sofa Sessions at Billy Byrne's, Kilkenny, 9pm, Adm free; tour continues next week to Belfast (Friday 4th) and Howth Jazz Festival (Saturday 5th); facebook.com/FJoBmusic
Trumpeter Anders Bergcrantz is no stranger to Irish audiences, and there’s a reason for that: the Swede is one of the most highly regarded horn players on the European scene, in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. He flies in this week to play new music with leading Irish piano trio F-JOB, featuring pianist Greg Felton, who, unusually for a jazz tour, will be playing an actual acoustic grand piano provided by Music Network’s Piano Scheme, supported by Jeffers Pianos and the Galway Jazz Festival.
