New York pianist Charles Gayle is a jazz radical, in the tradition of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. One critic has warned that to fully appreciate Gayle's art, you must "strip away white, Judaeo-Christian preconceptions and accept alternative modalities of being".

Now in his mid-50s, Gayle was on his first visit to Ireland. He was joined for the concert by Dublin pianist Paul Smyth, and the duo's performance was powerful, if at times bemusing.

Gayle's saxophone style is fiercely aggressive, whether he's blasting out a simple riff or honking and screeching at the extremes of the register. In contrast, Smyth was restrained and delicate, providing a dense chromatic backdrop. Though they had never played together before, they showed a real understanding.

The opening improvisation built skilfully from a relaxed, conventional introduction, becoming progressively freer and faster. By the end of the first set, Gayle was playing with a defiant ugliness, drawing wails and shrieks from his saxophone.

On piano, Gayle was quite different. He took over from Smyth to play several restrained, at times melodic piano solos. One of the highlights of the concert was a playful All the Things You Are, where he drew on various jazz styles, including a sort of Fats-Waller-gone-wrong dissonant swing. The humour made for a welcome change.

The second set featured some marvellous saxophone playing, but a little free improvisation goes a long way - at times you admire the skill without really enjoying the music. But maybe that's just the Judaeo-Christian in me talking.