Newpark Jazz Grad Fest

15/05/2015

Ladies and Gents, the final post from the Newpark Jazz Grad Fest 2015!

Firstly, thank you very much to all who attended the concerts, you have been part of what was a huge moment in the lives of all the 4th year students. We hope you enjoyed the music, the atmosphere and felt the love and effort that went into each and every performance.

Secondly, a huge thanks and congratulations to the 4th years this year. They have come from far and wide, one last time, don't forget their names because you'll be hearing more of them in the future:

Drums, Aaron McHugh (IRL)
Baritone Sax, Akiko Noguchi (JP)
Voice, Aleka Potinga (RO)
Drums, Brendan Doherty (IRL)
Piano, Cormac Kenny (IRL)
Guitar, Darragh Tate (IRL)
Guitar, Darren Giles (IRL)
Drums, Gavan Murray (IRL)
Bass, Ido Ran (IL)
Piano, Jordan Toms (DE)
Voice, Jennifer McMahon (IRL)
Alto Sax, Lasha Sakvarelidze (GE)
Piano, Michael Fay (IRL)
Guitar, Orlando Molina (VE)
Bass, Osker Sanchez (ES)
Guitar, Ross Keltie (IRL)
Voice, Ruba Shamshoum (PS)
Tenor Sax, Yotam Barak (IL)
Alto Sax, Yuzuha Taguchi (JP)
Piano, Ziv Abraham (IL)

Last but not least, a very big thank you to the teachers, sound engineers, The National Concert Hall and all the people who put the festival together. It's been fun! Let's not forget the other musicians who played throughout and supported the graduates.

See you next year everybody :)

14/05/2015

It's the final day of the Newpark Graduate festival, please come and show your support for our remaining 4 bands lead by Jordan Toms, Yuzuha Taguchi, Aaron McHugh and Ziv Abraham, respectively.

All kicks of at 4:30 with Jordan's Math Lab. 5:30 is Yuzuha's Mandrake Quintet and rounding of the evening will be the Three Huggars trio plus guests: lead by Aaron McHugh at 7:30pm and later, with compositions by Ziv Abraham at 8.30pm.

Don't forget, it's free and you can be among the first to hear this music making it's debut!

09/05/2015

Well, that's one week down, of the Newpark Jazz Grad Fest and what a week it's been! Half of the class have performed for the very last time as Newpark students, it has been exciting and a little bit sad now it's all coming to a close. But fear not, next week there will still be performances by homegrown Dublin based guitarists Darren Giles at 4.30pm and Darragh Tate at 7.30pm, Yotam Barak, our tenor player all the way from Newpark's affiliated school in Israel will play with his group at 6.30pm. Venezuelan guitarist Orlando Molina will treat you to some original compositions at 8.30pm. All this happens on Wednesday the 13th.

On Thursday the 14th, and the final night of this years festivities, please come and support piano player, Jordan Toms at 4.30pm, alto sax player Yuzuha Taguchi and her group at 5.30pm, and closing the show will be two of 'The Three Huggars' drummer Aaron McHugh, at 7.30pm and pianist Ziv Abraham at 8.30pm. It is sure to be a night of great music and it's completely free so come on down!

Thank you for all your support so far. The turn out for the gigs have been great at the Kevin Barry Room!

See you soon :)

30/04/2015

Ziv Abraham, a gifted pianist, composer, arranger and all round nice guy! Check out his set on the very last day of concerts as he closes the Newpark Jazz Grad Fest 2015.

28/04/2015

Check out the line-up for our upcoming festival! Remember, entrance is free and this is a great opportunity to hear and support the the music of this wonderful group of musicians. Come along and spread the word!!

24/04/2015

Friends of Newpark, today was the final day of class for the 4th years. It was a day of nostalgia, laughs and tears... and a little bit of fear now the exams are on the way! Also you might notice the change in the weather today... this is because the 4th years are finished class, you can blame it all on them!

On a happier note, the performances in the Kevin Barry Room of the National Concert Hall are almost here. Rehearsal rooms have been booked out, the local Spar by the Glasthule campus have been raided for their cocolate (any combination of coffee and chocolate - it keeps the eyes open and the creative juices flowing!) and there was even time for a trip to the sea.....

We hope the weather holds out for the Newpark Jazz Grad Fest. There is nothing like a Summer's afternoon listening to some new and exciting music at the NCH!! So, on that note.... come and check out our graduates on the 5th, 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th of May. Stay tuned for the line-up!

06/04/2015

Hey folks!

Another one of our three talented singers:

Dublin-based singer, Jennifer McMahon comes from an eclectic musical background with influences from Aretha Franklin to Sarah Vaughan and Marvin Gaye to Jeff Buckley. These days her repertoire includes songs from the Bossa Nova era too, taking every oppurtunity to sing in the Portuguese language.

After completing a course in songwriting and performance, Jennifer came to study jazz at Newpark in 2011. Inspired by the great vocalists that studied there before her, she set down her guitar to focus on singing and composing in the jazz styles. Now, four years on Jennifer's music has been clearly influenced by the driving Brazilian rhythms, explorative melodies and colours of language that have been a huge focus for her at Newpark. Her compositions can grow from many ideas: the movement of dance, an Indian mantra, an intimate memory and the many less abstract concepts she's studied throughout her time here.

With a set of tunes that bring tribal vocals, expressive lyrics and grooves that will surely make you want to dance, Jennifer invites you to the Kevin Barry Room of the National Concert Hall on Thursday 7th May at 6:30pm.

05/04/2015

Happy Easter everybody! While you're chilling out with your chocolate eggs check out another of our graduates.....

Gavan Murray is a drummer from Dublin,Ireland who began gigging at the age of ten in pubs around West Wicklow. After College his career took off as part of Dublin rock band Jaded Sun, Recording their debut album in Los Angeles, the band recieved critical acclaim resulting in successful tours across Europe and Asia. Also in 2004 , Gavan experienced personal success by having a word he invented being accepted into the online urban dictionary.

"Askhole" ; A person who asks for your advice, yet does the complete opposite of what you told them to do.
The word has also been featured on Twitter's "word of the day".

One of the last remaining students from his original first year Gavan has studied for the full 4 years of Newpark discovering a vast array of new styles of music he would have never found anywhere else.For his end of year performance he has put together all of his influences to create a vision which fuses the elements of all the music he has discovered over his time studying here.

This year his group Mr.Frog will take to the stage for the 4th year BAJP performance exam on May 6th in the Kevin Barry room at 4.30pm.

04/04/2015

As a Guitarist, Cuban Tres guitar player and Composer “...Orlando Molina is one of the most versatile and exciting young Venezuelan musicians of today…" (La Movida Cultural, Caracas, Venezuela).

Born in Venezuela, Orlando started his musical studies at the age of 12 with classical guitar. By the age of 14 he picked up the electric guitar and started his journey into the world of rock, pop and jazz. After 7 years of formal music studies he attended the National Experimental University of the Arts (Venezuela) achieving a Bachelor of Arts with first class honours in Music Performance. While still a student, he performed with the Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and the worldwide acclaimed Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, conducted by Andreas Morricone. Quickly established as one of the most versatile guitar players on the Venezuelan jazz and latin scene, he soon played and toured with some of the main Venezuelan artists. In 2010 Orlando joined the Simon Bolivar Big Band with which he toured the US (New York and Boston) performing in acclaimed venues such as Jordan Hall (New England Conservatory) and Jazz at the Lincoln Centre.

Orlando has received a variety of awards. While still in college, he was granted a scholarship to study Cuban Tres-Guitar and latin music in Havana, Cuba. In 2011 Orlando received another scholarship, granted by the Berklee College of Music (Berklee Network), to participate in the Xalapa Internacional Jazz Festival (Mexico). In the same year he was awarded a scholarship from the International Jazz Festival of Barquisimeto (Venezuela) to attend The Alhaurin de la Torre International Seminar of Jazz in Spain (2013). That same year, Orlando decided to move to Dublin, Ireland to start a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Performance at the Newpark Music Centre. At the moment Orlando is collaborating with some of Ireland’s finest latin and jazz musicians and is actively involved in his new project “Buena Vibra”, a unique trio format which combines Afro-Cuban, Jazz, and Latin American rhythms.

Orlando brings his music to the National Concert Hall on Wednesday May 13th at 8:30pm. Don't miss it!!

03/04/2015

Happy almost Easter everybody! Seeing as we're all going to be staying in tonight, eating our fish dishes like proper Catholics (ah hem) we figured it's as good a day as any to introduce you to our graduates of 2015.

One of our 3 amazing singers this year.....

Ruba Shamshoum - A Palestinian singer and composer, who moved to Dublin 3 years ago to live in this lovely city and to study music at Newpark Music Centre. Ruba’s music is mostly written in Arabic and English, and it is influenced by both Middle Eastern grooves and rhythms and by jazz harmony and improvisation. Come check out her music on the 7th of May at National Concert Hall at 8:30 pm.

You can check out Ruba's recent release on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbyyF4II8Ns

26/03/2015

Say hello to this years graduates.... (minus a couple of shy guys!) The sun is starting to shine and Summer is in the air.(kind of) It's coming close to the end of term and we're getting excited for the festival so in preparation we'll be introducing you to each artist over the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epRXoS_P0lk

18/03/2015

Hey folks! An update on the Newpark graduate festival: We can now confirm it will take place in the Kevin Barry Room of the National Concert Hall on Tuesday 5th May, Wednesday 6th May, Thursday 7th May, Wednesday 13th May and Thursday 14th May so pencil us in! It's going to be a great few days of original music not to be missed. Stay tuned for the gig line up to come. In the meantime, another great tune to keep you in the mood.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA2XIWZxMKM

Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Tommy Flanagan (piano); Doug Watkins (bass); Max Roach (drums).