In this episode, IMC’s director Kenneth Kileen and guest host Matthew Winkler caught up with jazz guitarist Joe O’Callaghan. Matthew is a Dublin-based guitarist and has been running a YouTube channel with a series called Dublin Guitar Duets, and Joe - who was mostly self-taught guitar - has played with many leading Irish and international jazz musicians.

Joe O’Callaghan is a genuine force in Irish jazz guitar, his playing characterised by extended tasteful lines, contemporary chord shapes and an instinct for rocking out when the need arises. A leading figure in the scene, Joe has performed with Irish and international jazz musicians including Ronan Guilfoyle, Louis Stewart, Richie Buckley, Michael Buckley, Honor Heffernans, Dave Liebman, Tom Rainey, & Nils Wogram.

Throughout their conversation, Joe talks about how his journey as a guitarist began. Although his father was a part-time musician and his uncle was a drummer who was very interested in jazz music, Joe initially had no interest in guitar. He mentions the pivotal moment in his life which encouraged him to pursue guitar and led him to become an influential and genuine force in Irish jazz guitar.

Joe speaks about the major influencers in his life that opened up the world of jazz and guitar for him and also gets into what helped him find his individual and independent sound. He talks about the change in music and the evolution of jazz over the years. People now don’t have as much definition about what the music is – there are now many influences from all cultures and its become more difficult to define as one entity. Joe makes capitvating points about how jazz has become a meta-genre as there is now much more assimilation.

Find Joe’s work on his Bandcamp: https://joeocallaghan.bandcamp.com/album/the-silent-tree

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Improvised Music Company is an Arts Council funded promoter and resource organisation www.improvisedmusic.ie

Thanks to Justin Carroll's Togetherness for our podcast theme https://justincarroll.bandcamp.com/album/togetherness

In this episode, IMC’s director Kenneth Killeen sat down with US pianist Craig Taborn to discuss all things improvisation prior to his triumphant Dublin concert. Craig was kicking off his European tour in support of his latest ECM solo release, “Shadow Plays” - released 10 years after his first offering, “Avenging Angels.”

In this wide ranging conversation, they talked about Craig’s approach to improvisation and how it forms his distinctive process of spontaneous composition; Taborn is famed for developing complex, rich, dynamic and beautiful soundscapes entirely “in the moment”.

Throughout, Craig talks about the variety of approaches that he incorporates, including the use of themes and structural frameworks. “One of the most challenging aspects of creating improvised music is that you can so easily get lost in your own imagination while performing”; Craig mentions a few tricks and devices that he uses to get out of his head to enforce continuity throughout his creative process.

One of Craig’s most compelling points is the idea of considering himself as an audience member during his performances - Taborn feels that there is no separation between him and the audience as he is also listening in the same way as the audience members within the concert hall.

Dive into this wide-ranging and informative chat now and be sure to share it with your friends if you enjoyed it!

Find Craig's work on his website: https://craigtaborn.com

Follow him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craig.taborn and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craigtaborn/

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Improvised Music Company is an Arts Council funded promoter and resource organisation www.improvisedmusic.ie

Thanks to Justin Carroll's Togetherness for our podcast theme https://justincarroll.bandcamp.com/album/togetherness

In this episode, IMC’s Kenneth Killeen caught up with Segun Akano & Uché Gabriel Akujobi from Yankari Afrobeat Collective at The Sugar Club. They talked about what makes Afrobeat - the culture, rhythm, & message that’s essential to it, and about identity, and transforming identities bringing cultures together. We also got a great insight into Yankari’s creative process, and how they work together making music.

Die-hard Fela fans, Dublin-based band Yankari, aspire to advance the original Afrobeat genre by incorporating contemporary sounds, such as, jazz, funk, dance, rock-and-roll whilst keeping the traditional groove elements of Afrobeat. This new sound has world-wide appeal and the Yankari fan base stretches from Ireland to Japan, Brazil to Spain, Nigeria to the US.

Yankari founding members, brothers Segun and Michael Akano along with Uché Gabriel Akujobi, are originally from Nigeria and came together in Dublin while playing at various gigs around the city. Gradually through the love of music and rhythms from their Yoruba and Igbo cultures they created the groovy and energetic sound that is reminiscent of Afrobeat of the 60's and 70's but with a modern twist. That sound is called Yankari.

Find Yankari’s work on their website: https://yankarimusic.com/home

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yankarimusic/, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yankarimusic/ or Bandcamp: https://yankari.bandcamp.com/

More of Segun’s music is on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/segun-akano He also gave a recent interview to Hot Press which you can read here https://www.hotpress.com/music/yankari-afrobeat-collectives-segun-akano-on-what-to-expect-from-tonights-sugar-club-show-22885040 and spoke to us about what Afrobeat is in a previous interview for Hotter than July which you can read here (including a playlist of Afrobeat essentials): https://www.improvisedmusic.ie/news/other-side-of-the-tracks-qa-with-segun-from-yankari-afrobeat-collective

You can find more of Gabriel’s music and acting work on his website http://uchegabriel.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/uchegabrielakujobi/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/uchegabriela

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Improvised Music Company is an Arts Council funded promoter and resource organisation www.improvisedmusic.ie

Thanks to Justin Carroll's Togetherness for our podcast theme https://justincarroll.bandcamp.com/album/togetherness

At The Sugar Club before a vibrant performance by Niwel Tsumbu’s Hearbeat (with special guest Shayan Coohe), IMC’s Kenneth Killeen caught up with Niwel in a long chat about musical explorations while growing up in Congo, falling in love with the guitar, meeting and collaborating with Irish-based musicians, and more.

Since arriving in Ireland in 2004 from the Congo, Niwel Tsumbu has developed an enviable reputation as a masterfully elegant and fluent guitarist, vocalist, musician, collaborator and composer. He has performed with the finest Irish and international musicians while continuing to craft his own distinctive fusion of new jazz, rhumba, world, flamenco, rock, soukous and classical.

An exceptional talent who quickly became a prominent face on the Irish scene, having collaborated extensively with some of the most celebrated names in Irish Music such as Sinéad O'Connor, Liam O'Maonlaí, and Dónal Dineen, among others, as well as international stars such as Ma Xiaohui (composer of the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon soundtrack), Senegalese legend Baaba Maal, and Nigel Kennedy. He has released 2 albums to critical acclaim ("Songs of the Nations", and "S'all Vibration"), and was funded by Cork City Council Arts Office to write a symphony known as 'The Big Bang Symphony' with The Clear Sky Ensemble, an assembled group of musicians from all over the world.

The list of artists that Niwel has performed with continues to grow with each year. Recently Niwel and Trasna (Mel Mercier, Liam O Maonlai) appeared at the Festival of World Culturesand in China at Expo 2010 alongside Xiaohui Ma. Niwel has shared the stage with Baaba Maal and played concerts in his native Congo and Paris. His performances of ‘Electric Counterpoint’ at The Reich Festival in front of composer Steve Reich and at Kilkenny Arts Festival were a triumph.

He continues to collaborate with leading DJ Donal Dineen on his Parish live act, the Crash Ensemble, composer Roger Doyle, Eamon Cagney’s Treelan ensemble, Dave Flynn’s DFF, and many more.

Find more of Niwel’s work on his Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Niwel-Tsumbu-Sounds-212103155519751

You can find him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/niweltsumbu/

Or on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/NiwelTsumbu

Niwel’s class in fingerstyle guitar is available on World Music Method https://worldmusicmethod.com/product-category/tribal-congolese-fingerstyle-guitar/

His recent duo release with Eamonn Cagney is available to buy here https://www.eamonncagney.com/product/the-art-of-duo/ or on Bandcamp https://eamonncagney.bandcamp.com/releases

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Improvised Music Company is an Arts Council funded promoter and resource organisation www.improvisedmusic.ie

Thanks to Justin Carroll's Togetherness for our podcast theme https://justincarroll.bandcamp.com/album/togetherness

At the Sin É before a beautiful performance, IMC’s Kenneth Killeen caught up with singer Christine Tobin and guitarist Phil Robson in a long chat about returning to Ireland, approaches to creating music from poetry, working together and influence on each other’s work, jazz scenes in NY and the UK, and some words of advice for young musicians.

Christine Tobin

Renowned for her kaleidoscopic musical palette, she can be a junkyard blues philosopher, snappy beat seductress, a conduit for exquisite zen-like harmonies or reflective Americana. Dublin native Christine has been an integral part of both the New York City and London scenes for many years, has recently returned to Ireland and now resides in Roscommon. Her authentic sound was described by The Guardian as ‘Tobin’s 24 carat voice’ while praising her both for the poetry of her compositions and the warmth of her golden voice. Her style, although rooted in jazz, is eclectic and draws on a broad range of influences. The Irish Times called it ‘music that veers from grungy, post-industrial grooves to wispy romanticism to abstracted contemporary classical’. MOJO Music Magazine said of her ‘Christine Tobin really transcends glib genre-fication. Her expressive range acknowledges finely acquired folk, jazz and 20th-century classical influences, which already sets her apart. And everything is shot through with an unmistakable refinement, free-spirited earthiness and giddy romanticism, this singer-songwriter is in a field of one.’

Find more about Christine on her website: http://www.christine-tobin.com/

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineTobinSinger

Watch a beautiful performance from with Christine and Phil from this year’s Limerick Jazz: https://youtu.be/GH219ExFuC0

Phil Robson

Christine’s partner – in life and on stage is respected London guitarist Phil Robson. As well as being one of the leading jazz guitarists in Europe, Phil is also celebrated as an innovative composer. As a band leader Robson has fronted many innovative projects including ‘The Immeasurable Code Quintet,’ ‘Six strings & the beat,’ Phil Robson Trio, Quartet, Octet. His latest solo project is an organ trio with the incredible Ross Stanley & Gene Calderazzo which toured the UK in 2014/15 & released their new album, ‘The Cut Off Point’, on May 18, 2015 to great acclaim.

Robeson also co-leads the cult band Partisans with Julian Siegel which has been a major influence on the European contemporary scene & beyond. They completed a major tour of North America in June 2014 which included appearances at Rochester, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa international festivals as well as Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola & many other venues to pre-promote their award winning CD Swamp, released in Sept ’14 on Whirlwind Records.

Find out more about Phil on his website: http://philrobson.net/

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/philrobsonmusic

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Improvised Music Company is an Arts Council funded promoter and resource organisation www.improvisedmusic.ie

Thanks to Justin Carroll's T

Kenneth Killeen of IMC caught up with legendary Detroit-born drummer Jim Black amidst his pan-European tour as a mentor of a musical laboratory, Criss Cross Europe.

Jim is currently coaching the band of six rising stars of the European jazz scene, whose tour stops in Dublin at the Freemasons’ Hall on Thursday 9th December 2021.

https://www.improvisedmusic.ie/events/details/criss-cross-dublin

Berlin-based American drummer Jim Black - is one of the most influential voices in contemporary jazz. The Wire referred to Black as a ‘’complete musician and wonderfully fertile composer”. Black is internationally acknowledged for his virtuosic but highly personal approach to contemporary jazz. He stands at the forefront of a new generation of jazz innovators through projects like Human Feel, Tim Berne's Bloodcount, Ellery Eskelin's trio, Pachora, and Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio. “Wickedly inventive… A revelation.” - CMJ

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Improvised Music Company is an Arts Council funded promoter and resource organisation www.improvisedmusic.ie

Thanks to Justin Carroll's Togetherness for our podcast theme https://justincarroll.bandcamp.com/album/togetherness

Welcome to the sixth Blind Date Jazz episode of IMC’s Creative About Music Podcast. For this musical blind date, we paired up guitarist Chris Guilfoyle with tenor saxophonist Meilana Gillard.

Each episode in Blind Date Jazz is a new encounter between 2 artists , playing ‘blind’ with no knowledge who the other person is, no advance preparation or even an indication of instrumentation. Halfway through we drop the curtain and they suddenly see who their new improvising partner is - can you hear a change in the music?

Meilana Gillard is a saxophonist and composer based in Northern Ireland since 2012. She has two albums under her name (Day One ’09, Dream Within A Dream ’17), both of which received critical acclaim. Currently, she is one third of Ireland’s own RBG Trio featuring Dave Redmond and Kevin Brady. They released their first single ‘Black Hole Sun’ in October 2020 and are recording a full-length album in 2021. Born in London, Meilana grew up in Ohio and studied music in New York city, where she had the chance to perform with several of her heroes. Since moving to Northern Ireland, she has made a great impact on the Irish jazz scene and is in demand as a player. Often praised for her big sound and story-telling improvisations, memorable melodic compositions and lyricism, she remains a perpetual student.

Find more of her work at her website www.meilanaontenor.com

Chris Guilfoyle is an Irish guitarist, composer, bandleader, and educator who tours regularly around Ireland and abroad including the UK, The Netherlands, Belgium and France. Since 2011, Chris has been a member of faculty on Newpark Music Centre’s BA in Jazz Performance program, and has since become a Jazz Lecturer at Dublin City University where he teaches guitar and ensemble studies. Chris leads his own group Umbra, a critically acclaimed quintet featuring some of the most promising musicians in Ireland. Umbra have released two records in the last two years and have toured extensively in Ireland and Europe. In his relatively short career, Chris has played with some of the biggest names in jazz including Dave Liebman, Jim Black, Tom Rainey, Theo Bleckmann, Nils Wogram, Ralph Peterson, John O’Gallagher, and David Binney. He also performs with Ronan Guilfoyle, Conor Guilfoyle, Sean Carpio and Michael Buckley, some of the most highly regarded musicians on the Irish jazz scene.
Find more of Chris' work at his website chrisguilfoyle.com or follow Umbra on Twitter or Facebook.

Blind Date Jazz is an exploration in listening, intuition, skill and spontaneity, all unique hallmarks of the improvising artist.

You can watch this Blind Date Jazz in full video form on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEhYAFH6KtE

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Improvised Music Company is an Arts Council funded promoter and resource organisation www.improvisedmusic.ie

Thanks to Justin Carroll's Togetherness for our podcast theme https://justincarroll.bandcamp.com/album/togetherness

Welcome to the fifth Blind Date Jazz episode of IMC’s Creative About Music Podcast. For this musical blind date, we paired up percussionist Sean Carpio with trombone players Colm O’Hara.

Each episode in Blind Date Jazz is a new encounter between 2 artists , playing ‘blind’ with no knowledge who the other person is, no advance preparation or even an indication of instrumentation. Halfway through we drop the curtain and they can see who their new improvising partner is -can we hear a change in the music?

Trombonist, multi-instrumentalist and composer Colm O’Hara has played with some of Ireland’s most innovative and interesting ensembles, including amongst others, the Crash Ensemble, the Dirty Jazz Club, Yurodny, Havana ‘che, and quartet ReDiviDeR, whose recent release ‘Mere Nation’ was praised by All About Jazz for their “beguiling hybrid of simplicity and complexity, tunefulness and adventure”. As a composer, he has recently been commissioned to write for flautist Lina Andonovska and drummer Matthew Jacobson, and has collaborated with sculptor Rory Tangney on a commission for Solstice Arts Centre Navan.
Find more about Colm's work on his website: https://colmoharamusic.com/

Sean Carpio is a drummer and multi-instrumentalist, described by the Irish Times as “maybe the finest drummer ever produced here". His full-length debut WoWos in 2013 was called by DIY Mag “a determinist streak of nature loving excitability”. A prolific collaborator, he has played with the likes of Louis Stewart, Mikkel Ploug, Nina Hynes, Robert Stillman, Ronan Guilfoyle, and many more, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra & RTE Concert Orchestra. Recent work has included multimedia trio Bog Bodies, exploring electro-acoustic spontaneous composition. Other recent collaborations include work with guitarists Simon Jermyn and Cian Nugent, and with the National Concert Hall’s Echo Band.
Find more of Seán's work at his website: https://www.seancarpio.com/

You can watch this Blind Date Jazz in full video form on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/28kHyzB4ogg

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Improvised Music Company is an Arts Council funded promoter and resource organisation www.improvisedmusic.ie

Thanks to Justin Carroll's Togetherness for our podcast theme - the track is their 'Feelgood Factor' from 2009 album 'Togetherness'. You can listen to the rest here: https://justincarroll.bandcamp.com/album/togetherness