Back with a bang and a giant puppet head: at the launch of Ballydehob Jazz Festival
This year's Ballydehob Jazz Festival features jazz ensembles from New Orleans, Bristol and Montpellier as well as the signature New Orleans-style jazz funeral parade.
The bus from Ballydehob was late for the launch of the Ballydehob Jazz Festival 2023 in Cask on MacCuratin Street in Cork city on a rainy Tuesday night.
When the organising crew finally arrived, they made themselves noticed by parading Diego, a giant puppet head in front of them. Diego has featured prominently in the jazz festival’s signature New Orleans-style jazz funeral parade which unfolds in the village’s main street.
Festival director Joe O'Leary, better known for his day (and night) job running Levis pub, told Tripe + Drisheen that there was a bit of consternation that Diego was coming at all.
“I’m in a small bit of trouble,” Joe explained. “I had to steal Diego from the puppet workshop.”
For the past number of years, Diego and his partner Katrina have featured prominently in Ballydehob’s New Orleans Jazz Funeral Parade, a big noisy and colourful shindig which winds its way through the village on the Sunday of the festival.
“Last year they sailed off into the sunset in a boat,” Joe said, explaining that they had to wait for the tide to come in before Katrina and Diego could sail off.
The jazz parade is emblematic of Ballydehob’s jazz festival: it’s big and brassy and pulled together by the whole community on a minimal budget.
Now in its 17th year, the Ballydehob Jazz Festival runs over three days during the May bank holiday (April 28 - May 1).
This year’s iteration brings together 30 musical acts encompassing jazz, funk, soul, blues, reggae and sean-nós. The three-day festival features headline acts such as Swedish singer Camilla Griehsel who will be premiering her new show ‘Source’ as well as TarantaCeltica, a group that blends the music of Southern Italy with Irish trad.
It takes a village
Joe O’Leary, a former front man with the band Fred, first became involved with the festival shortly after moving to Ballydehob. He was wrangled into attending a meeting and has been involved ever since.
“I was so naive,” Joe recalled of his first Ballydehob jazz festival meeting, explaining that he was seconded to being the festival’s press relations officer, or PRO.
“I said, ‘I’m not goina be a PRO, that’s what GAA clubs have,’” Joe said jokingly.
Alas, he’s been saddled with that role and much else.
As Joe explained, it takes a village to put the jazz festival on, and everyone pitches in. The population of Ballydehob will swell to a few thousand people up from less than 300 people over the course of the three days.
“At its heart, it's an arts festival,” Joe said of the Ballydehob Jazz Festival.
In addition to the gigs and concerts that take place in the festival hall and pubs throughout the village, there will be a swing dance workshop, a choral pop-up workshop, a poetry slam hosted by Working Artist Studios, a food and craft market, and, of course, the signature jazz funeral parade. Modeled after the New Orleans tradition, the parade will take place on Ballydehob's main street.
Comeback kids
French outfit the Canibal Dandies made their Ballydehob debut in 2022 with a late night gig in the Festival Hall.
“They’re an eight-piece group and they played a club night in the hall. It was a late night gig and they were phenomenal,” Joe said.
“This year they’re all coming back with their wives and children and staying for a week,” Joe said.
Music from the city of Bristol also features heavily in this year’s festival with The Brackish and The Schmoozenbergs making the trip across the Irish Sea.
Closer to home, Cork city band the Mafia Cats, as well as the duo of Paul Dunlea on trombone and Cormac McCarthy on keys, and the West Cork Choral Singers, will all be performing in Ballydehob.
“Every band wants to return every year and that’s a great sign,” Joe said.
“We don’t have anywhere near the biggest budget, but what we do have is a class festival and everyone is treated really well. That counts for a lot,” he said, adding that there is an audience that wants to soak up all the sounds and sights.
For the full line-up of bands, tickets as well as informtaion about all the events check out the Ballydehob Jazz Festival website here.
