The Island Theatre present

Christmas Jazz Cafe featuring Cathal Roche’s North by Northwest Quartet

Friday 17th December, 8pm. 

The Island Theatre, Ballinamore is delighted to present ‘Christmas Jazz Cafe featuring Cathal Roche’s North by Northwest Quartet’ at a show on Friday 17th December 8:00pm (Doors open 7:30pm).

Leitrim saxophonist Cathal Roche who recently brought his Duke Ellington project to the Island Theatre Ballinamore returns with a new Jazz quartet composed of musicians from Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, and Belfast to pay tribute to the music of legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins. 

I started performing jazz as a 14 year old busker 30 years ago under Dublin’s Merchant Arch after hearing Sonny Rollins’ album ‘The Bridge’ for the first time. Sonny instantly became a hero and a guide of mine. As a recording of jazz standards ‘The Bridge’ sounded completely different from anything I’d heard before. Sonny’s playful tenor saxophone sound is searching and personal,somehow carrying something of the night’s street sounds from the Williamsburg Bridge, in New York, a bridge on which Sonny practiced during a two year sabbatical from performing prior to the album being recorded. This man’s music and openness gave jazz musicians a licence to play solo and absorb, to draw off people and places, and to make things more spontaneous, more heartfelt and personal.

Cathal’s new group The North x North West Quartet will revisit some of Rollins’ favourite tunes in the spirit and sax-guitar combo of The Bridge and features the talents of legendary UK guitarist Phil Robson (Roscommon), Donegal double bassist Conor Murray (One half of twin duo the Murray Brothers), and Belfast drummer Dr David Lyttle.

‘Covid restrictions apply inside which means that only those with approved immune status will be allowed entry.

This project has been made possible through the support of Leitrim County Council and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media under the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme 2021