New Ross to get jazzy with piano festival
FREE jazz piano sessions will be heard throughout New Ross during the piano festival which runs from Thursday, September 23, to Sunday, September 26.
This year well-known jazz pianist Phil Ware will perform on Friday, September 23, at 11.30 a.m. at New Ross Library, at 13.30 p.m. at Tesco and at 2 p.m. at the Dunbrody Visitor Centre. On the following day Patrick Molitor, who has been so instrumental in getting jazz piano studies available at the Wexford School of Music, and has progressed his students to the jazz degree course in Newpark Music Centre, will be in Supervalu at 11.30 p.m., Tesco at 12.30 p.m., New Ross Library at 2.30 p.m. and the Dunbrody Visitor Centre at 3.30 p.m.
These are short sessions – half-an-hour in each venue – which make for a great introduction to this way of playing the piano. The pianos will be placed in the Dunbrody Visitor Centre, Supervalu, the Library and Tesco from Wednesday September 21 and anyone can play them from then until the following Monday. They are labelled “PLAY ME!”, so it is hoped that many will try.
UK-born pianist Phil Ware made the transition from blues to jazz in his early twenties. Teaching himself the style through trial and error, he was twice a finalist in the Young Jazz Musician of the Year by the time he was 25. After moving to Ireland, he rapidly established himself as a major player on the scene.
He will be bringing with him the bass player, Damian Evans, who has been a major contributor to jazz in Ireland since his arrival in 1997.