The Goo 1
SEP '25 You graduated from Newpark in 2002, a tim
e when the country was hedonistically high on the Tiger, Dublin’s nightlife was booming, what opportunities did you have then as an emerging musician then, and who were you playing with? Ah yes, Dublin really was buzzing around then. There were lots of regular gigs including JJs, The Globe, the Mezz. Myself, Phil and Kev played with the late Herb Dade, we had three gigs on Sundays around the George’s St. area. This was the start of Phil’s trio. There were the IMC Dublin jazz festivals and Note Productions gigs in Vicar St. There seemed to be major gigs nearly every week. A big moment for me was seeing a Seamus Blake quartet gig at the Shelter venue with the legendary drummer Victor Lewis. The trio’s Monday night residency in JJ Smyth became an essential thread in the musical fabric of the city, with leading Irish and international players invited to play with you. It was here that I really saw you progress as a player, and develop your almost telepathic relationship with drummer Kevin Brady. Yes, Brian Smyth and JJs were hugely important in all our development. The residency was great for us, it ran for about a year, we’d always have guests, we had a chance to play with Irish players such as Louis Stewart and the Buckleys once a week, I remember gigs with Anders Bergcrantz, Bobby Wellins and Ian Shaw going especially well. We became a real working trio, Ian even used us as his backing trio for his residency in Ronnie Scott’s in London, we also headlined a jazz festival in Mexico. Jazz is very promiscuous by nature, and you’ve chalked up a hugely impressive list of collaborators, but one lasting, almost monogamous relationship you have maintained is that with drummer Kevin Brady. Yes, we’ve done so much together, and know each other’s playing so well. Playing with Bill and later with Seamus was and still is a huge learning curve. Also, performing and recording with Larry Coryell was great for us. I remember him stopping a rehearsal during his piece “Dragon Gate” and saying that I should stop playing the written bass line during the solos and just improvise, it’s nice to take those kinds of lessons into other situations like Tommy Halferty’s trio. In 2014 you released your debut album as leader “Roots” on the Spanish label “Fresh Sounds” which featured Bill Carrothers, Jason Rigby, and Kevin, how did it feel to step out front as a leader in such a prestigious group and present your own compositions to the world? I think it’s important to do your own thing to grow as a musician. Presenting new music to other musicians is important and it’s also hugely satisfying if it goes well and the music works, there’s nothing better than getting that affirmation from other players. A standout album in your discography is the live album, recorded in Arklow, as part of American pianist George Colligan’s Trio which features the brilliantly dynamic drumming of Darren Beckett. Both play on your latest album “All in Motion”, alongside Belgian saxophonist Stephane Mercier. How did this new quartet come to be? I started playing with Darren about five years ago although I’d known about him for about fifteen years before that. He lived in New York, and introduced me to both Stephane and George, who he had played with there. I knew they would do an amazing job with the music. I saw George play at the Cork jazz festival in 2005 and was blown away by his trio, which included drummer Jeff Ballard. The live in Arklow album was from our first tour together, one of the gigs was recorded and we decided to release it. It won an award in the UK for best live album in 2021. It’s been eleven years since your last release as a band leader, how have your compositions developed since then, to these ears it seems that you are more 27 daring and self-assured, and even dipping your toe into more experimental territory as on the haunting duo version of “All in Motion” with Stephane. We did a tour as a quartet last year and I had some pieces written so I asked the guys if they would be willing to record during the tour. It’s not often you get an opportunity to work with a group of that caliber, for example George is the pianist of choice for both Jack Dejohnette and Buster Williams. The All in Motion duo with the sax was something that we just decided to try out in the studio, it’s rare that I use the bow. I’m delighted with the results and feel it’s a good representation of where I am now musically. It’s been wonderful chatting with you, your album is not just a great personal achievement but also a significant milestone in Irish jazz, when will audiences have the chance to dig this band, and its fresh sounds live? Thank you so much Billy you’ve always been such a great supporter of the Irish jazz scene, we’re lucky to have you. We’ll be touring from the end of September into the start of October. Dave Redmond - All in Motion (featuring Stéphane Mercier, George Colligan & Darren Beckett) is out Sept 3rd. Live dates include Sept 25th The Cooler @ The Complex, Smithfield, Dublin, Sept 26th - Scotts, Belfast, Sept 27th Bennigans, Derry, Sept 28th (as The George Colligan Quartet) Arthur’s, Dublin, Oct 1st Westport Jazz Society, Oct 2nd The Solstice, Navan and Oct 3rd Jazz at Johnstown, Wexford.