Much of Súp’s makeup points toward a standard jazz piano trio; the instrumentation (piano, bass, drums), the emphasis on improvisation, and the evident assimilation of the jazz language. However, this group’s interests and influences have organically led to a musical exploration much wider and more varied than one might initially expect. A shared interest in folk and traditional-Irish music is clearly manifest in the sound, a musical direction which is further and more obviously traversed when the trio is augmented (as is often the case) with Maria Ryan and Lucia MacPartlin on fiddles.

Many of Súp’s arrangements, whether in trio or quintet format, deviate from the more traditional jazz forms, and clearly seek to explore elements of classical music and the through-composed music heard in modern jazz. Add to this, the seemingly natural inclination of modern jazz musicians towards a more groove-based sound, and you end up with a new and interesting musical lexicon.

Súp (Cormac McCarthy – Piano, Eoin Walsh – Bass, Davie Ryan – Drums) were recently selected by RTE LyricFM to represent Ireland in the EBU Euroradio Jazz Competition, and were one of only four acts to make the final in Amsterdam.