sligo jazz project

May 11 2012: More acts added to Festival Line up including Jean Toussaint, Greek Bouzouki player Michael Paouris and Irish duo Brian Dunning & Sean Whelan.

More new acts to be announced soon!

SJP 2012 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME LAUNCH Sunday May 27th at the Hawkswell Theatre Sligo, 6.30pm, before The Bad Plus’s performance of The Rite of Spring.

EXTRA DATE! April 3 2012: Courtesy of our 2012 venue partner The Hawkswell Theatre, SJP is happy to announce that an extra date has been added to the festival – 23rd July will see the first Sligo visit of Zakir Hussein and his Masters of Percussion.

Just some of the acts confirmed for the Sligo Jazz Festival bill are as follows. Please note that this is a provisional final main concert line up, subject to change and additions!

• Phronesis - One of the great jazz phenomena of 2011, British/Scandinavian trio Phronesis have been confirmed for a Hawks Well appearance on Tuesday July 24th. Bassist Jasper Hoiby’s power trio made headlines last year and have received rave reviews including many comparisons to the legendary EST.
• Marshall Gilkes Quartet - The man who stole the show for many at last year’s main event, trombonist Gilkes is the leading light of his instrument on the planet right now. Unmissable virtuosity! (Hawks Well, July 25th)
• Femi Temowo - The London based Nigerian  guitarist Femi Temowo brings his quintet for a world-jazz special on Thursday 26th July.
• Kenny Wheeler’s Somethin’ Else Quartet – SJP 2012 Guest of Honour Kenny Wheeler is one of modern jazz’s most iconic figures. At 82, trumpeter and composer Kenny is still writing and performing with a creative energy that belies his years.
• Rufus Reid’s SJP All Stars The great man returns! Double bass legend Rufus Reid is back in Sligo for the first time since 2007. He has performed with some of the most legendary jazz stars of all time. Now he is an established, award winning composer and bandleader in his own right. He will lead the entire 2012 Sligo Jazz Project teaching faculty through a magical night of music on Saturday 28th July.

Sligo Jazz Project (SJP) is a volunteer-run organization which brings world class music and music education to Sligo, Ireland.

SJP’s flagship event each summer is one of the most important jazz education events in Europe. SJP also runs smaller local, national and international events throughout the year and promotes local jazz and world music acts.

We make great things happen in Sligo! See how by watching these videos! See how we do it – our new video page

SJP 2012 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME LAUNCH Sunday May 27th at the Hawkswell Theatre Sligo, 6.30pm, before The Bad Plus’s performance of The Rite of Spring.

EXTRA DATE! April 3 2012: Courtesy of our 2012 venue partner The Hawkswell Theatre, SJP is happy to announce that an extra date has been added to the festival – 23rd July will see the first Sligo visit of Zakir Hussein and his Masters of Percussion.

Just some of the acts confirmed for the Sligo Jazz Festival bill are as follows. Please note that this is a provisional final main concert line up, subject to change and additions!

• Phronesis - One of the great jazz phenomena of 2011, British/Scandinavian trio Phronesis have been confirmed for a Hawks Well appearance on Tuesday July 24th. Bassist Jasper Hoiby’s power trio made headlines last year and have received rave reviews including many comparisons to the legendary EST.
• Marshall Gilkes Quartet - The man who stole the show for many at last year’s main event, trombonist Gilkes is the leading light of his instrument on the planet right now. Unmissable virtuosity! (Hawks Well, July 25th)
• Femi Temowo - The London based Nigerian  guitarist Femi Temowo brings his quintet for a world-jazz special on Thursday 26th July.
• Kenny Wheeler’s Somethin’ Else Quartet – SJP 2012 Guest of Honour Kenny Wheeler is one of modern jazz’s most iconic figures. At 82, trumpeter and composer Kenny is still writing and performing with a creative energy that belies his years.
• Rufus Reid’s SJP All Stars The great man returns! Double bass legend Rufus Reid is back in Sligo for the first time since 2007. He has performed with some of the most legendary jazz stars of all time. Now he is an established, award winning composer and bandleader in his own right. He will lead the entire 2012 Sligo Jazz Project teaching faculty through a magical night of music on Saturday 28th July.

More info to follow

FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS: Because we take most of our festival acts from our summer school faculty we are not taking any submissions from bands, sorry!

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What they said about our summer school and festival:

“thank you so much for the most amazing, fun, inspiring week”

“What an incredible week…thanks for putting it all together “

“It was a fantastic experience – both enjoyable and challenging”

“I learned so much from the tutors and the jam sessions”

“All the tutors were top-class, I felt like I learned something new every five minutes!”