Galway Jazz Club
My wife Lorraine and I ran the Galway Jazz Club from 2004 to 2007, with lots of help from friends and volunteers.
When I finally cleared the files off an old PC that had been sitting under my desk for years, I was delighted to find records of the club. This is as complete a list as I can put together of everyone who headlined from 2004 until 2007.
Most gigs used a local rhythm section: usually me on bass, Declan O’Donahue or Ken Hall on drums, and John Dunne or the American pianist John King on piano. Danny Healy often sat in on trumpet.
If you played, came along, or have photos, posters or memories from those years, I’d love to hear from you: damian@damianevans.net.
Every headliner, 2004 to 2007
2004
| Date | Headliner | Band size |
|---|---|---|
| 27/07/2004 | Justin Carroll | 4 |
| 03/08/2004 | Cian Boylan | 4 |
| 10/08/2004 | Hugh Buckley | 4 |
| 17/08/2004 | Michael Buckley | 4 |
| 24/08/2004 | Ciaran Wilde | 4 |
| 31/08/2004 | Nigel Mooney | 4 |
| 07/09/2004 | John Merrick | 5 |
| 14/09/2004 | John Moriarty and Justin Carroll | 4 |
| 21/09/2004 | Jim Doherty | 3 |
| 28/09/2004 | John Dunne | 4 |
| 05/10/2004 | Ellen Demos & Mike Nielsen | 2 |
| 12/10/2004 | Frank Kilkelly | 4 |
| 19/10/2004 | Graeme Blevins (Aus) & Justin Carroll | 4 |
| 26/10/2004 | Ian Date (Aus) & Robin Nolan (UK) | 2 |
| 02/11/2004 | Richie Buckley | 4 |
| 09/11/2004 | Tommy Halferty | 3 |
| 16/11/2004 | The West Coast Big Band | 16 |
| 23/11/2004 | Greg Felton | 3 |
| 30/11/2004 | The Nigel Mooney Band | 4 |
| 07/12/2004 | Jeremy Sawkins (Aus) | 3 |
| 14/12/2004 | Rock Fox (Chas Merideth) | 4 |
| 21/12/2004 | Phil Ware | 4 |
2005
| Date | Headliner | Band size |
|---|---|---|
| 04/01/2005 | Matthew Berrill Quintet | 5 |
| 11/01/2005 | Colm O’Sullivan | 4 |
| 18/01/2005 | Os Braseleros Mentiros | 5 |
| 25/01/2005 | Jazz Charity Jam Session | |
| 01/02/2005 | Good Fellas’ | 4 |
| 08/02/2005 | Pat Collins & Drazen Derrick | 2 |
| 15/02/2005 | Michael Buckley & Jim Doherty | 4 |
| 22/02/2005 | Dick Farrelly | 3 |
| 01/03/2005 | Michael Buckley & Greg Burke Quartet | 4 |
| 26/04/2005 | Charity Jazz Jam | |
| 03/05/2005 | Ellen Demos & Mike Nielsen | 2 |
| 10/05/2005 | Hugh Buckley | 4 |
| 17/05/2005 | Danny Healy | 4 |
| 24/05/2005 | Cian Boylan | 3 |
| 07/06/2005 | Tommy Halferty | 3 |
| 14/06/2005 | Keith McDonald | 5 |
| 21/06/2005 | Betrand Huve | 4 |
| 28/06/2005 | Fuzzy Logic | 9 |
| 05/06/2005 | Charity Jam Session | |
| 12/06/2005 | Rick Harris | 4 |
| 11/10/2005 | Richard Nelson | 4 |
| 18/10/2005 | Danny Healy | 4 |
| 25/10/2005 | Kirk Lightsy Trio (USA) | 3 |
| 03/11/2005 | Honor Heffernan | 4 |
2006
| Date | Headliner | Band size |
|---|---|---|
| 28/02/2006 | Sandro Gibellini (ITA) | 3 |
| 04/04/2006 | Joel Harrison (USA) | 4 |
| 18/04/2006 | Cortisol | 6 |
| 30/05/2006 | Dorothy Murphy | 4 |
| 18/07/2006 | Desequilibre (George Ulrich, Justin Carrol, Tim Willis, Jaimie Carswell) | 4 |
| 11/08/2006 | Jazz Festival Fundraiser (all ages, Town Hall) | |
| 15/08/2006 | Jazz Funk Collective (Duncan Eagles UK) | 10 |
| 28/09/2006 | Guy Barker, Nuns Island Studio (All ages) | |
| 12–15/10/2006 | Galway Jazz Festival | |
| 24/10/2006 | Osteti | |
| 31/10/2006 | Eric Revis (& Masterclass) | 3 |
| 16/11/2006 | Julien Wilson (Crane Bar) | 4 |
| 24/11/2006 | Christian Wallumrød Ensemble, (Aula Maxima, in Conjunction with Music for Galway) | |
| 05/12/2006 | Buckley/Guilfoyle Trio | 3 |
| 19/12/2006 | Vladimir Karell |
2007
| Date | Headliner | Band size |
|---|---|---|
| 23/01/2007 | Bill Carrothers/Kevin Brady Group | 4 |
| 27/02/2007 | David Lyttle and Mark McKnight | 3 |
| 27/03/2007 | Marco Kegel Group | 4 |
| 03/04/2007 | Kate McGarry | 2 |
| 10/04/2007 | Tommy Halferty Trio | 3 |
| 17/04/2007 | Polly Gibson w/ the Linley Hamilton Quartet | 5 |
| 01/05/2007 | Angelo Debarre | 4 |
| 05/06/2007 | Tim Wilson Quartet | 4 |
| 31/07/2007 | Paul Williamson & Jamie Oehlers | 5 |
| 04/09/2007 | La Nouba (Joe Brady) | 5 |
| 14–16/09/2007 | Galway Jazz Festival 07 | |
| 18/09/2007 | Firm Routes | 4 |
| 23/10/2007 | Emilie Conway | 4 |
| 15/11/2007 | Fred Hersch Trio | 3 |
| 20/11/2007 | Kevin Brady/ Bill Carrothers Group | 3 |
The newsletter
The club put out a newsletter. Only one issue survives, Volume I, Issue 14. If you have any of the others, please get in touch.
The first Galway Jazz Festival, 2005
Lorraine and I started the Galway Jazz Festival together with Fidelma Mullane, who was on the board of the Galway Arts Festival. (Lorraine and I got married shortly after the first one.) I was involved until 2008, when I moved to Dublin. Fidelma and others kept it going, it changed hands a few times, and after the 2019 festival the organisers announced they weren’t carrying on. I was always delighted to be asked back as a musician. We put a lot of emphasis on education and outreach, and I’m very proud of it.
The programme of the first festival, 2005 (PDF), from the same old computer.