Paul Dunlea
“a thoughtful and sensitive composer, with a gift for blending instruments to paint pictures in sound” The Irish Independent
Although at home in a variety of musical styles, Cork Trombonist/Composer/Arranger, Paul Dunlea concentrates primarily on Jazz and Improvisation. This has furthered his reputation as one of Irelands most in demand musicians.
Dunlea has performed/toured/recorded with the likes of Michael Bublé, Cassandra Wilson, Frankie Valli, Liam O'Maonlaoi, Mick Flannery, Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire), Bryce Dressner (The National), Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, Billy Drummond, David O' Rourke's O' Rourkestra, Sachal Vadsandani, John Clayton, RTE Concert Orchestra, The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra, The New Irish Jazz Orchestra, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Hot House Big Band, Freezeroom & Brian Deady.
Dunlea is a graduate of the CIT Cork School of music holding both a bachelor’s degree in trombone performance and a master’s degree in composition. He has held the chair of principle trombone with the Band 1 Brigade - Irish Defence Forces since 2001.
2011 saw the released his debut album ‘Bi-polAr’ to critical acclaim - reaching #1 in the iTunes chart. 2016 saw the release of his second album 'Fraternal' recorded at the renowned Bunker Studios, Brooklyn, NY featuring bassist Peter Washington, drummer Billy Drummond, guitarist David O’ Rourke (co-leader) & Cork’s Cormac McCarthy.
In 2013 Dunlea established his own big band as a creative outlet for his own compositions. To date, the band has performed sell out shows across the country in venues such as The Opera House, Cork, The Grand Opera House, Belfast & The Everyman Theatre - Cork along with headlining the 2015 Cork & Limerick Jazz Festivals. Entire concerts have also been broadcast nationally on both RTE and BBC radio. Dunlea is also musical director of the New Irish Jazz Orchestra.
As well as writing for his own various groups and ensembles, Dunlea's compositions and arrangements have been performed by New Irish Jazz Orchestra, Martin Hayes, The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra, Hothouse Big band, Crisis Point Big Band, Larry McKenna, Tony Miceli, Stan Sulzmann, Julien Seigel, Gwilym Simcock, Cathal Coughlan, Camille O' Sullivan, Dana Masters, Gareth Dunlop, Niall McCabe, Laoise Leahy, Anna Mitchell, Jack O'Rourke, Brian Deady, The Frank & Walters, Band of An Garda Siochana, Defence Forces Bands-Ireland, Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra & CSM Wind Ensemble. He has also written/arranged for countless theatre productions, groups and recording artists including Mick Flannery's two number 1 albums - "Red to Blue" (2012 EMI records) & By the Rule (2014 EMI Records).
hayley kavanagh
“Her sound is big and warm; her language firmly rooted in the swinging hard-bop and post- bop traditions of Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.” – All About Jazz
“a key figure in the capital’s jazz scene” – Journal of Music
Hayley Kavanagh is an Irish saxophonist, flautist who has made a name for herself on the Dublin scene in recent years both as an active band leader, as well as an in-demand collaborator and sideman. Her music is punchy, bluesy and angular with “pithy hooks over catchy basslines” (Journal of Music). Deeply rooted in tradition, but with a distinct personality, it has “an uncanny quality of sounding both familiar and new at the same time” (Journal of Music). She has performed with her own projects at some of Ireland’s most notable jazz events and venues, including the International Bray Jazz Festival, Scott’s Jazz Club, The Cooler, and Arthur’s Blues & Jazz Club.
Hayley started playing classical flute at the age of seven but didn’t pick up the saxophone until much later. Black American music had always resonated deeply with her – jazz, gospel, blues – but it was only after spending several years on the vibrant music scenes in Prague and Berlin, that she began to play improvised music. Hayley found her feet playing at jam sessions, busking, and taking any gig she could get. She learnt to improvise predominantly on the bandstand before returning to Ireland to pursue a degree in jazz performance at DCU.
Hayley is now based in Dublin where she performs regularly with her own projects, as well as with the RTE Concert Orchestra, the Genuine Jazz Orchestra, in So-Young Yoon’s Master Album Series, and various other ensembles. She plays every Thursday with Red
Line Jazz in the Circular in Rialto, every Sunday with Cormac Kenevey’s band at Searsons of Baggot street, and every second Monday at the Arthur’s Jazz Jam which she co-hosts with Eric Doyle. She has performed alongside many of Ireland’s foremost improvising musicians, including Dave Redmond, Kevin Brady, Scott Flanigan, Cathal Roche, Brendan Doyle, Chris Guilfoyle, Aleka Potinga, among others.
Outside of performance, Hayley does everything she can to help foster a vibrant and sustainable scene in Dublin. She is the co-founder of the jazz event guide Cookin’ Dublin, co-producer of the Jazz Ireland video interview series ‘In the Groove’, sits on the board of the Dublin Jazz Co-op and works closely with the Bray Jazz Festival.
Kevin Brady
“Brady’s Plan B is classicist, adventurous, insistent on its own modernity” Downbeat U.S.
“Brady is an impressive drummer with strong chops, impeccable taste, creative & most notably, terrific tone” All About Jazz U.S.
Kevin Brady grew up in a family where music and music appreciation was a high priority. Beginning at age six, he studied classical piano and trumpet privately and later added the drums to his repertoire taking lessons at the Newpark Academy of Music. He then went on to study with some of New York’s finest musicians at the Drummers Collective. He has established himself as One of the most in demand musicians in Europe. His music has been recognised and critically acclaimed in The Irish Times, The Chicago Reader, Jazzwise, Jazz Podium, The Sydney Morning Herald, All About Jazz, Marlbank and Downbeat Magazine. His teachers have included Elliot Zigmund, Kim Plainfield, Bobby Sanabrias, Ralph Peterson, Keith Copeland, Jeff Ballard, Matt Wilson & Ben Perowsky.
Kevin received first class honours in his MA in Music from The Cork School of Music, CIT, Cork. He received a Licentiate Diploma in Drumkit Performance from the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Kevin has researched and studied many different ethnic drumming styles, and this has led to extensive study periods in Havana, Cuba with World renowned percussionists Jose Eladio Amat & Luis Papine. He became a founding member of the Hammond Organ trio Organics in 1997, thereafter they became the first recipients of The Young Musicwide Award in Ireland. In Ireland, Kevin performs regularly with many of the country’s leading musicians’ including: The RBG Trio, Scott Flanigan Trio, Richie Buckley Quintet, The Tommy Halferty Brazilian Quartet and many more.
Kevin has performed with International artists such as: Peter Bernstein (Guitar), Seamus Blake (Sax) Norma Winstone (Vocals) Pee Wee Ellis (Sax) Bill Carrothers (Piano) Larry Coryell (Guitar) Nir Felder (Guitar), Perico Sambeat (Sax) Ian Shaw (Vocals), John Ruocco (Clarinet), Ronnie Cuber (Sax) Guy Barker (Trumpet), Bobby Watson (Sax) Randy Ingram (Piano) Ulf Wakenius (Guitar) and Anders Bergcrantz (Trumpet) Lage Lund (Guitar), Jason Rebello (Piano), Brian Charette (Hammond Organ), Ant Law (Guitar)
In Ireland, Kevin has performed and recorded with artists & groups such as Van Morrison, Luka Bloom, Richie Buckley, Jimmy McCarthy, Grada, Louis Stewart, Choice Music Award Nominee Dave Geraghty (Bell X1) . In 2012 he performed with Grammy Award winning Violinist Monica Huggett & The Irish Baroque Orchestra to perform the commissioned piece entitled ‘Groove Theory’.
He has recorded on numerous recording sessions with established Irish and International artists and has played on numerous TV & radio shows for companies such as NBC, ABC, RTE, BBC. Kevin is Head of the Jazz Department at the Newpark Academy of Music in Dublin. In 2017, he began lecturing at The Dublin City University on the BA Degree in Jazz Performance & Contemporary Music. Kevin has conducted numerous workshops & Masterclasses worldwide as an endorsed artist for Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads and Vic Firth drumsticks.
Kevin has performed Internationally at music festivals & venues such as: Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Brecon Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Kento – Shanghai, Euro Jazz Fest – Mexico, Angra Jazz Fest – Azores, Dubai Jazz Festival, Jazz Utsav Festival in India, Splash Festival in South Africa, Glasgow Jazz Fest, Mai Jazz & Silda Jazz Fests in Norway, Paris Jazz Festival & Cork International Jazz Festival. He has performed at many of the World’s most prestigious venues such as The Sydney Opera House, London jazz clubs Ronnie Scott’s & Pizza Express.
He has also supported and performed on double-bill concerts with acts such as: Kurt Elling, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Andrew Hill, Swedish piano trio EST, Norwegian Composer Bugge Wesseltoft & Soul legend Gil-Scott Heron.
In 2007, Kevin began to lead his own piano trio featuring the U.S. pianist Bill Carrothers. Their aim was to create and produce compositions by all members of the trio. The group have travelled widely and won the appreciation of discerning jazz audiences as far afield as the USA, Europe, China and the Azores. To date he has released four internationally acclaimed studio albums entitled Plan B, Ensam, Common Ground & Zeitgeist. His latest album entitled ‘PLAN B’ features U.S. Saxophonist Seamus Blake & Bill Carrothers on Fender Rhodes. The album received a 4.5 Star Album review from Downbeat Magazine and was selected as one of the Top jazz Album releases of 2022.