The JK Ensemble Sessions - Live at The Button Factory

Bill Carrothers

Chequerboard

Ensemble ICC

The Jimmy Cake

Carly Sings

THE JK ENSEMBLE SESSIONS

Live at The Button Factory - 8pm till late. Thursday, 2nd October

On the 2nd of October, The JK Ensemble plays host to an extraordinary gathering of jazz, contemporary, classical and popular music artists. John Kelly presents
The JK Ensemble Sessions live from the stage of the Button Factory, Temple Bar. Joining him will be:

. Bill Carrothers with Kevin Brady and Dave Redmond
. Carly Sings and the Callino Quartet
. Chequerboard
. Ensemble ICC
. The Jimmy Cake

John Kelly's credo on music comes straight from the words of Louis Armstrong: "There's only two ways to sum up music; either it's good or it's bad. If it's good you don't mess about it, you just enjoy it." There are no musical boundaries on The JK Ensemble and this is reflected in the artists performing in the Button Factory in the first of The JK Ensemble Sessions that will be recorded for broadcast on five successive Fridays on RTÉ lyric fm.

Bill Carrothers is one of America's foremost jazz pianists and has played many venues and festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has played with some of the greatest names in jazz including Lee Konitz, Gary Peacock and Toots Thielemans. Bill will be joined by Kevin Brady (drums) and Dave Redmond (double bass), with whom he's toured Ireland and recorded the recent album, Common Ground. "Carrothers' impact on these excellent musicians was evident from their quick witted responses, their performance was full of deftly negotiated changes of pace for light and shade, excellent solos from piano & drums."
(Live Review) Ray Comiskey, Irish Times

Carly Sings is being tipped as the next great chanteuse to emerge from Ireland since the success of her debut album, The Glove Thief, about which Hot Press said, "This is a melodic masterpiece with considered arrangements and subject matter, and I reckon it's the debut of an important new singer." She will be accompanied by the acclaimed Callino Quartet who formed at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in 1999 and are currently studying at the Musik Akademie in Basel, Switzerland. Of the quartet, Michael Dervan recently wrote: "The evening's greatest pleasure was the Callinos' performance of Debussy's early Quartet in G minor. The quartet have the knack of registering harmonic character with ease...this enabled them to capture the freshness of the only string quartet Debussy would complete."
The Irish Times, Friday 25th July, 2008

Chequerboard is a musician who creates stark haunting musical landscapes from just one instrument, his guitar, and a range of samples and effects. His album, Penny Black, was described as 'A priceless rarity and something to treasure' by The Ticket, The Irish Times.

Ensemble ICC is a newly formed band comprising of some of the country's foremost young musicians - names that are already familiar to Irish audiences: Cora Venus Lunny (viola), Kate Ellis (cello & Musical Director), Daniel Bodwell (bass), Karl Rooney (saxophone) and Roger Moffat (percussion). As they say themselves, "With a commitment to pioneering work with electronics and diverse performance practices, Ensemble ICC is thirsty for the deep unknown."

The Jimmy Cake is a nine-piece instrumental tour de force, that plays some 18 instruments between them, including accordion, trumpet, bouzouki, percussion, saxophone and piano. Their recent album, Spectre & Crown, has received much critical acclaim and The Ticket called it "... unforgettable ... an extraordinary blossoming ... Clarinets, pianos and strings billow out over 54 sublime minutes of what is their best work yet."

TICKETS ONLY €15 from www.buttonfactory.ie

All acts are being recorded for broadcast on RTÉ lyric fm

For interviews or further information please contact the programme directly jkensemble@rte.ie or 061 207350.