Some things never change. Rainy days, October bank holidays and the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival.
It always seems to rain for "The Jazz", as they call the festival here, and yesterday was no exception. But as usual, the persistent drizzle was doing little to deter fans from enjoying the music.
"The Jazz" may no longer announce itself with the razzmatazz and pizzazz of the 1980s when half of Cork seemed to don straw boaters, but it still commands an important place in Corkonians' affections.
Dutch visitors, Lamarotte Jazz Band got Corkonians into the swing of things performing on the streets and they belted out their big brassy sounds from under the canopy of the Everyman Palace Theatre.
Meanwhile, the sombre surroundings of UCC's Aula Max were also pulsating to a jazz beat when leading saxophonist, Bobby Watson, the Missouri professor of jazz studies, performed to a packed venue before giving a masterclass to students.
According to Guinness Cork Jazz Festival manager Mr Rory Sheridan, an estimated 40,000 jazz fans are expected in Cork to see over 1,000 performers from 29 countries do their thing in over 70 venues around the city. "We did a survey a few years ago when we calculated the festival to be worth around €20 million to Cork and we expect that's still the case," he said.
Among the highlights of this year's festival is the appearance of virtuoso organist, Jimmy Smith in the Everyman Palace Theatre, Amp Fiddler in the Opera House and the appearance of the biggest jazz big band, the Mingus Big Band and Bobby Watson in the Opera House.
