October storms failed to dampen the spirit of jazz enthusiasts in Cork at the weekend as 40,000-plus visitors saw musicians perform at sell-out shows in venues such as the Opera House, Gresham Metropole Hotel and the Everyman Palace.
The legendary McCoy Tyner Trio performed at Cork Opera House yesterday evening in a special Guinness Jazz Festival double bill alongside Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra.
Philadelphia-born McCoy Tyner is best known to jazz listeners for his role as John Coltrane's last regular pianist. However, his blues-based piano style, replete with sophisticated chords and an explosively percussive left hand, is said to have transcended conventional styles to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music.
Meanwhile, San Francisco native Joshua Redman appeared at the Everyman Palace theatre last night. Redman burst on to the jazz scene in the 1990s while still in his early 20s after he won the Thelonius Monk Jazz Sax competition.
He has toured worldwide with his own groups and with stars such as Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden and even the Rolling Stones.
The Cork Jazz Festival first took place in 1978 and has since hosted many of the greats, including Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich.
The jazz weekend is considered to be the single most profitable festival in Ireland, generating €30 million for the local economy.
Upwards of 40 pubs and clubs featured in the Guinness Jazz Trail, while fringe events included workshops and art exhibitions.
Among the official guests at this year's festival were representatives from Norway, France and the US who are hoping to replicate its success in their own countries.