Enjoy jazz parades through the streets and cool free sessions at Cork Jazz Festival 

The packed schedule of ticketed concerts that occur during the Cork Jazz Festival draws a lot of attention and audiences, but walking around the city during the weekend and following tips is another great way to soak in the atmosphere. Here is an overview of options selected from the Free Sessions Trail.

Starting with Thursday, The Belle Vue (Old Youghal Road) have The Two Tones, who play classic tunes and loved songs with piano and guitar at 9pm… But this week it will have a twist, Anth Kaley, one of the bar’s owners, will be leaving the equipment and piano set up for the whole weekend to jam with any musicians who want to to play! Call in any time and there could be live jazz music.

In the city centre The Pavilion (Careys Lane) will be hosting the Cork School Of Music Big Band at 9pm.

Later that night at 11.50pm in The Crane Lane (Phoenix St), Chief Keegan, an instrumental funk band from Dublin, will be playing.

Moving to Friday, The Hightown Crows play their first show in Rising Sons Brewery (Cornmarket Street) at 4pm, promising “raw rock and roll, rhythm and blues, punk rockabilly, country trash, and filthy garage rock”. They haven’t played in Cork for over 15 years but their performances back then are still talked about gleefully (they also play Sin é on Saturday 10pm, and Poor Relation on Sunday at 3pm and midnight).

Over in The Imperial (South Mall), Jeremy Nagle and The Crew will be playing at 6pm and their uptempo guitar work will be perfect for the post-work week celebrations.

Over in the Metropole (MacCurtain Street) at 6.30pm The Sam Clague Organ Trio will be performing. Sam is one of Cork’s busiest multi-instrumentalists, and he will be on many stages over the weekend in many lineups, such as ing his sister in her band Eve Clague & The Valentines later than night in Henchys (St Lukes Cross) at 9pm.

Down in An Bróg (Oliver Plunkett Street), the live music starts at 7pm with Queens Of Retro, who play vintage soul, rock and roll, blues, rockabilly, R&B and retro jazz.

The recently reopened Preachers (Washington Street) has Bobby Ahern playing guitar and singing songs live at 10pm.

Here are just two suggestions from the many at hand at 11pm on Friday; The Tan Jackets bring their garage rock and roll energy to Coughlans (Douglas Street). For those who might prefer a DJ session, the much loved ‘Dim The Lights’ who declare themselves as a ‘club night of sleazy disco, house chuggers, and various other dancefloor goodness, celebrate their 7th birthday in The Vicarstown (North Main Street)

Starting early on Saturday at 1pm, you can see Fiona Kennedy, who is playing the Clayton Hotel (Lapp’s Quay). She released her latest album ‘Find Me’ in March of this year and she is much ired on the Cork music scene. Sal, a very talented songwriter and performer who has had three consecutive number 1s in the streaming charts, will be playing a set of original music in Conways Yard (Oliver Plunkett Street) at 2.30pm and she will be followed by Hánt at 4pm, who plays plaintive intimate music drawing on acoustic and electronic instruments.

Keeping it downtempo, Carolyn Goodwin who plays clarinet, bass clarinet, alto, and soprano saxophone is over from Denmark and playing with her trio in O’Sho (Barrack Street) at 5pm.

Crawford & Co (Anglesea Street) have music and food throughout the festival, and The Offbeats, a nine-piece big band that packs a big punch will be a great way to start the evening’s proceedings at 6pm. Another dynamic band with two lead singers are The Cosmic Funk Band who play Le Cabaret (Washington Street) at 7pm.

Later in The Oliver Plunkett (Oliver Plunkett Street), you can catch the soul and R’n’B influenced high energy group The Art Crimes Band at 9pm, and they are followed by the Paul Dunlea All-Stars, which will be top class brass action from 11.30pm.

Pontious Pilate & The Naildrivers are a ska band that used to play solely cover versions but they have also have added their own perfectly crafted songs in recent years. Their only gig of the festival is in Crane Lane Theatre at 9.30pm.

Sunday will have a host of delights to pick from an early afternoon highlight will be at 3pm in Bru (MacCaurtain Street) with Kate O’Connor, who performs soul music with alternative influences such as Amy Winehouse, Radiohead, and Jeff Buckley.

The Jawbone sessions have been running in Cork and Dublin for many years, with a cadre of acoustic folk, blues, country, and ol’ time rock ’n’ roll musicians who are based in either city, and they are combining for a ‘Jawbone Big Band’ in the Pavilion at 5pm.

The B Majors, will be blowing away any of the cobwebs that might be left in the city when they start in The Black Dog (North Main Street) at 5pm.

In Henchys, also at 5pm, The Camembert Quartet will be playing the entire album ‘Parade’ by Prince, which they insist is his greatest album. They will be followed from 8pm by one of Ireland’s finest record collectors and selectors, Donal Dineen, who will be bringing another installment of his ‘Backstory’ club nights.

Back in the city centre, there will be a long night of clubbing upstairs when the Not How When? Club night takes over upstairs in The Pavilion from 9pm. The usual trio of Sonny Emerald, JL Razza, and Flukey will be ed by their guest Robert Bergman, who is being brought in from Amsterdam for the night.

If people still have energy on the fifth day of the weekend, there are some great nuggets to be found

One Horse Pony will be playing their roots music, original and written in Cork but sounding like it was bottled right by the edges of the Mississippi River, in BarBarossa (Oliver Plunkett Street) at 4pm and just up the street in The Old Oak (Oliver Plunkett Street) The Busquitos, a Dutch band that mix quality jazz music playing with showmanship and good humour, will be playing a set at 5pm.

Dan O’Keefe will be playing The Alibi (Washington Street) at 6pm. His huge repertoire of songs is matched perfectly by his brilliant voice, and will be a great antidote to the bank holiday Monday evening drawing in.

Roy Buckley, the man behind the song collector series and currently playing a residency in Las Vegas, will be playing in Costigans (Washington Street) at 9pm

And then I’d be suggesting Hank & Ray’s legendary Bluegrass & Americana session in Charlies Bar (Union Quay) from 9.30pm. They’ve been a fixture on the session trail for nearly three decades.

Shakalak will probably be the last live music you can hear from the whole weekend when they take to the stage at 11.50pm in Crane Lane Theatre,

Please note most of these bands play several times in various venues and all listings are liable to change, so it is advisable to check each venue’s social media in advance.

• Check out the Downtown Guinness Cork City Jazz Festival magazine in The Echo on Thursday, October 26, for interviews with the stars, top recommendations, and good fun times.