Murray Brothers Trio

Micheal Murray - Alto Saxophone
Conor Murray - Double Bass
David Lyttle - Drums

With the advent of their debut album, "Murray's Law", out now on Lyte Records, twin musicians Conor and Micheal Murray have more than come of age as jazz musicians. The young men, who attended Sligo Jazz Summer school in their mid teens, and graduated to become tutors at the same event in 2018 and 2019, have blossomed into two of Ireland's finest jazz musicians and composers. With the help of producer David Lyttle, who also plays drums in their trio, their debut record is a tour de force. Hear them perform tracks from this and relish the knowledge that these young men are the future of Irish Jazz.

Sankhara
at the Hawks Well Theatre

Joe O`Callaghan - guitar
Izumi Kimura - piano
Derek Whyte - double bass

Sankhara is a newly formed Irish
trio. All three musicians are regulars on the Irish jazz scene for many years. This group features music composed by Joe and also group improvisations. The music has elements of jazz and classical in it, and all three musicians are accomplished improvisers. Their debut album, The Silent Tree, is available now.

Ashley Pezzotti Quartet
Live from New York, Exclusively for Sligo Jazz '21

Ashley Pezzotti - voice
Matt Baker - Piano
Jason Clotter - Double Bass
TJ Reddick - Drums

New York vocalist and composer Ashley Pezzotti discovered her love for music when her Dominican father would sing her classic Spanish songs to sleep. She began taking voice lessons at only 4 years old, and in 2018 she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music with a full tuition scholarship.​

At the young age of 25 years old, Ashley has performed with renowned artists such as Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Arturo Sandoval, Joey Alexander, Dave Holland, Jon Secada, and country star Keith Urban. In the spring of 2019, Ashley participated in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program where she was mentored by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jason Moran, Casey Benjamin, Marcus Printup, and Peter Martin and performed her original compositions at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.​

Her 2019 critically acclaimed debut album “We've Only Just Begun” features an array of original compositions inspired by the Great American Songbook. Ashley also showcases her superb ability to tell a story through some of the great jazz standards featured on the album. The album features a world class band including Emmet Cohen on piano, Alex Weitz on tenor saxophone, Bob Bruya on bass, and Kyle Poole on drums. The release was accompanied by a national tour including performances at Birdland Jazz Club, The Velvet Note, The Nash, The Jazz Showcase, and Dizzy's Club at Jazz At Lincoln Center.​

Ashley is featured on Wynton Marsalis' 2020 album release on Blue Engine Records, The Ever Fonky Lowdown, along with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. The album is a sweeping Marsalis suite that captures the artist's insight on culture and society.​

The narrative of life, love and promise conjure the sensibilities of a bygone era, something particularly impressive for a 23-year-old vocalist [...] A sound band, promising voice, excellent song selection and writing mark Pezzotti as a performer to watch . ” —DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE

“ Pezzotti is exquisite, caressing and stretching the lyric in the manner of the masters . ”