International Jazz Day : Barry McCormack Organ Trio & Organ Freeman

International Jazz Day lands on April 30th and Arthur’s Blues and Jazz Club is marking it properly: two acts, free entry, on Thomas Street in the Liberties.

Barry McCormack Organ Trio lead the bill. The organ trio format is one of jazz’s most satisfying small-group arrangements: organ, guitar, and drums, a combination with roots in Jimmy Smith and organ jazz tradition that still sounds immediately good in any room. McCormack has been playing the Dublin circuit for long enough to know what he’s doing in this format.

Organ Freeman open the evening, giving this the shape of a full night’s programming rather than a single-act bill.

This event is free

Free entry means there’s no barrier to coming. International Jazz Day is UNESCO’s designated day for celebrating jazz globally, and Arthur’s hosting a free night on Thomas Street is exactly the kind of local expression of that worth supporting.

What to expect

8:30pm on a Thursday in the Liberties. Two sets of organ jazz, no cover charge. Dublin does free live music well, and this is one of the better examples of it.

Getting there

Arthur’s Blues and Jazz Club is at 28 Thomas Street, Dublin 8. Bus routes 51B, 123, and 77A serve Thomas Street. Free entry; no booking required but arrive early as it will fill up.