The 13th edition of the Limerick Jazz Festival is set to captivate audiences from the 26th to the 29th of September, with four exciting nights of live jazz in the heart of Limerick. This festival, long established as a highlight in Ireland's jazz calendar, continues to showcase the diversity, creativity, and global reach of jazz music.

Since its inception, the Limerick Jazz Festival has brought a wide range of talent to the city, from local artists to renowned international performers. This year's lineup is no exception, featuring acts from Timisoara, Romania to North Devon, UK; Statesville, North Carolina to Warrington, Northern Ireland; Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia to Limerick City. The festival is known for its broad scope, not only in geography but in style, offering something for everyone while embracing the full spectrum of jazz. The 2024 program also highlights the multi-generational nature of the jazz world, welcoming both well-established figures and fresh, emerging talents.

Read more: The 2024 Limerick Jazz Festival: Four Nights of Global Jazz in the Treaty City

Episode 128 of the Hot Box is packed with marvellous music where we take a deep dive into the piano, looking for the slightly less obviously famous works. You can hear some current music and some that is quite historical.

Starting with Benny Green you can also hear tracks from Joe Bushkin, Fred Hersch, Roland Hanna,  Sammy Price and more.

Read more: The Hot Box #128

In a moment of celebration and relief, the Newpark Academy of Music has announced that it will officially reopen in September 2024 at its current location, Melfield House. After facing months of uncertainty, this beloved Dublin institution is ready to welcome back students, staff, and the wider community to continue its 45-year legacy of providing accessible music education.

This reopening comes after intense efforts from the Save Newpark Academy of Music group, the outgoing Board of Directors, and a dedicated working group. Their collaboration has ensured that the academy, which has been a pillar of the Irish music education scene, can now move forward stronger than ever. While the academy will remain in its current premises for the upcoming year, plans are already in motion to transition to a new facility by May 2025.

Read more: Newpark Academy of Music Set to Reopen: A Triumph of Community and Music

Steve Welsh - saxophones, flute, clarinet
Darragh O'Kelly - keys
Sean Maynard Smith - bass
Brendan Doherty - drums and percussion

Bassist Sean Maynard-Smith is following up the 2021 recording Eh, No and his more confidence-inducing title Actually, Yeah in 2023, with a release by the Pizza Jazz group aptly named Home Delivery. Born by way of the lactic workshopping of Luckys’ Pizza Jazz evenings at their regular residency in Dublin, Maynard-Smith and his fellows Darragh O’Kelly on keyboards and drummer Brendan Doherty are joined on Home Delivery by American saxophone expat Steve Welsh. What follows is a record that is eccentric in all the right ways.

It isn’t easy music to provide an overview of. Some moments seem to channel the lighter shades of 70s Stanley Clarke in Venusian mode, especially so when O’Kelly’s vintage synth meets Welsh’s flute, such as on the third track Languidity. Other times we are lured more towards firmer Jazz territory, for example with their rendition of the Ornette Coleman classic Ramblin’, which is now for all intents and purposes in the standard repertoire. The enduring fascination lies in the way the ensemble is emphasising some of the more introspective sides of 60s Free Jazz and 70s Fusion, yet at the same time there is a fingerprint of individuality that means drawing too many comparisons to past styles deny Home Delivery’s unconventionality it’s due acknowledgement..

Read more: Album Review - Pizza Jazz, "Home Delivery"

Welcome to the 127th edition of The Hot Box! In the last two episodes, we celebrated Irish albums from start to finish. If you missed them, I highly recommend catching up—those shows were packed with fantastic music.

This time, we're diving into longer, more immersive tracks designed to help you unwind and savor the beauty of the music. Expect to hear works from the likes of Andy Sheppard, Bill Evans, and selections from the upcoming release of The Dublin Concert, featuring Louis Stewart and Jim Hall, brought to you by Livia Records.

Read more: The Hot Box #127