Andreas Varady/Benjamin Boone Double Bill

Andreas Varady Trio

Andreas Varady - Guitar
Neil O'Lochlainn - Bass
David Lyttle - Drums

Guitarist Andreas Varady has come a long way since entering the international jazz scene at the age of 13. Whilst still living in Limerick, he traveled worldwide, performing on every continent, with highlight shows at Montreux Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott’s and the New York and Tokyo Blue Note clubs as a guest of his manager Quincy Jones. He also toured with music legend George Benson on several tours as his support act in the US and Europe and released his self-titled second album on Verve Music with guest appearances from Gregory Porter and Roy Hargrove.

Now, at 27 years old, he releases his fifth album, ‘Sunrise’, which showcases his contemporary jazz compositions with an all-star group of EU-based musicians including Danny Grisset and Doug Weiss. He returns to Limerick playing music from the album with his trio featuring MOBO-nominated drummer David Lyttle, who has collaborated with stars from Kurt Rosenwinkel to Joe Lovano and brought his projects to over 50 countries, and Irish bassist Neil O’Loghlen, a unique creative voice in Irish music who played in the last quartet of Ireland’s jazz great Louis Stewart.

Benjamin Boone Confluence Band

Benjamin Boone - Saxes
Jayne - Voice
Joe O'Callaghan - Guitar
Dan Bodwell - Bass
John Daly - Drums

American saxophonist and composer Benjamin Boone’s, a Professor of Music at California State University Fresno, came to collaborate with this all-star band while serving a U.S. Fulbright Scholar at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in 2022-23. This show features tunes created for the newly recorded album Confluence : including “The Clash of the Ash,” “She Moved Through the Fair,” and “On the Banks of the Shannon,”and other great new compositions. "This was a fun project and we had such a great time recording these original tracks so do come and hear the finished product”. CDs will be on sale on the night.

Benjamin Boone's work has been enthusiastically received by critics and fans with awards including #3 “Best Album of 2018” in DownBeat Magazine’s 83rd annual Readers Poll, #5 “Best Album of 2020” and #5 “Best Instrumental Group of 2020,” in the 42nd Annual JazzStation Awards, and #1 on the Amazon Charts. DownBeat noted, “despite the star turns [guests Branford Marsalis, Chris Potter, Greg Osby and Tom Harrell], Boone not only distinguishes himself with uncluttered, affecting orchestrations, but by passionately balancing intellect and emotion.” All About Jazz echoed, Boone’s “guest artists might be the attraction for the jazz listener… but that would miss the extraordinary music both written and performed by Boone.” Jazz giants Ambrose Akinmusire, Kenny Werner, Ben Monder, Ari Hoenig, and Corcoran Holt have also recorded with Boone.