Since 2005, Sligo Jazz Project has hosted Europe’s largest and most inclusive jazz summer school alongside its internationally renowned jazz festival, bringing some of the finest names in international jazz to the Irish town of Sligo. This year, they will celebrate their twentieth anniversary by welcoming 35 artists, their largest faculty yet, helmed by legendary American bassist Rufus Reid as Guest of Honour, and acclaimed Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana as Artist in Residence. In this interview with Charlie Rees, festival director and co-founder, bassist Eddie Lee, looks back on the past twenty years while looking ahead to some very exciting instalments this Summer.
UKJazz News: This July will mark the twentieth anniversary of Sligo Jazz Project’s annual Summer School and Festival – congratulations on reaching that milestone! What has stood out most to you over that time?
Eddie Lee: Many people refer to Sligo Jazz attendees and tutors as “family”, and what has stood out for me so much is that jazz lovers and musicians are a lovely bunch of humans. It feels like a big family, and one that grows each year. Everyone who comes to teach and perform seems to relish the week and wants to return. Likewise, over 60% of participants return at least one more year, with many attending annually as part of their summer holidays. Yes, it’s the camaraderie, the empathy and support everyone gets from each other on our week. Apart from the summer school, the twice-daily jam sessions and concerts have a way of building empathy levels throughout the week, so by the weekend, it’s always just a big love fest.
UKJN: Many incredible, internationally acclaimed artists have performed at previous Sligo Jazz Project festivals. Tell us about some personal highlights for you…
EL: It’s hard to pick one or two highlights because there have been so many. Sligo is a small town in a fairly remote corner of Ireland, so we never got many international artists passing through until we started this thing. Apologies in advance for the ridiculous name-dropping. Personal summer school highlights for me would have to be an amazing prepared piano workshop/performance by the great John Taylor (RIP) and Diana Torto at Sligo Jazz 2012:
This was back when we ran the project in a local primary school. When we finally managed to move to a third-level institution down the road a few years later, I remember telling Grammy-winning Pat Metheny sideman and producer Steve Rodby that we had come up in the world, to which he replied, “You mean we have adult chairs this year?!”. At the time, it hadn’t dawned on me that we had American Grammy winners and jazz legends using children’s seats all this time.
Another big highlight was Ernie Watts’s visit as artist in residence, which, I think, was the first time we had an artist-in-residence. The same year, we had bass legend Chuck Rainey as the Guest of Honour. Having Ernie and Chuck in the one camp in Yeats Country for a whole week was a dream come true. We were having supper one evening and Ernie’s wife casually mentioned the fact that I was sitting across the table from the Grand Wazoo himself. Being a huge Frank Zappa fan since my teens, it was truly a pinch-myself-moment.
So many other highlights would have to include:
Victor Wooten and Mike Stern played a mind-blowing concert to a full house in 2013, and the same year, we had the amazing Kenny Werner on the faculty.
The Impossible Gentlemen – that brilliant supergroup of Gwilym Simcock, Steve Rodby, Adam Nussbaum and Mike Walker – spent two projects with us in 2015 and 2016 as band in residence. In 2015, they had just learned before coming here that John Taylor had just passed away. This was a huge loss for Mike and Gwilym, as he was both a mentor and a friend. They performed this emotionally charged tribute to the great man at our festival, creating one of the most unforgettable moments in my life running this project:
Vulfpeck’s Joe Dart‘s public bass workshop hosted by our great friend, the amazing Italian bass player Federico Malaman, when they duetted on the bass workout “Dean Town”, Fede playing both piano and an octave up from Joe’s legendary bass melody:
Daniel Herskedal Trio in 2022 – this was a magical experience. We were so excited about the video and audio recording of this extraordinary concert, which we felt was incredible, but the Norwegian Tubist said he felt his performance was not 100% because he was recovering from COVID, so I’m not allowed to share that video! Suffice it to say, not since bassist Avishai Cohen‘s 2007 concert at our festival with Mark Guiliana on drums did we see so many people floating on air after a performance.
Every festival, we have at least one mixed-genre, completely acoustic session with some musical buddies from my band NoCrows in Shoot the Crows pub, a tiny, ancient establishment in the heart of Sligo town. The Wednesday session is also 20 years old this year, possibly the longest-running musical residency in Sligo. The likes of Paul Clarvis and some horns and woodwinds join us from the faculty each year for this fun free-for-all, which is uncomfortably packed and sweaty, but sums up the essence of Sligo Jazz for me. On one recent year we had a visit from New York vocalist Sachal Vasandani, who strolled, impeccably dressed, into Shoot the Crows, noticed we were playing “Honeysuckle Rose”, and beamed his beautiful smile as he waded gracefully through the throng, arriving just in time to sing a couple of choruses of the song to the delight of all around. It was as if Sinatra himself had just walked in, such was the effect it had on us all.
I’m sure I’m leaving out a heap of great experiences, but these are the ones that spring to mind right away.
UKJN: Legendary American bassist Rufus Reid is your Guest of Honour this year. I understand he was an early supporter of Sligo Jazz – what’s the story?
EL: I, along with three local musicians, started Sligo Jazz Project in 2005 with a weekend workshop in October, which Irish guitarist and educator Mike Nielsen kindly helped us with. It was a fun, inspiring affair with just five tutors for the approximately 35 attendees, so we decided to make it a summer event the next year and to try to get more international people on board. I remember arriving home from holidays in April, and we still hadn’t hired a bassist as a tutor that year. I am a bass player, and I had ordered a DVD called The Evolving Bassist by jazz legend Rufus Reid. I stuck the DVD in the computer and saw when it loaded up that there were website and email links on there. So I thought I’d chance my arm, and wrote an email to him saying “dear Mr Reid I know this is a long shot but a silent priest never got a parish”… I had never used that phrase before and am not remotely religious so not quite sure where it came from but whatever it was it must have had an effect as I got a reply from Rufus within 10 minutes, saying “dear Eddie its just as well you’re not a silent priest” and the rest is history.
He came for two consecutive years in 2006 and 2007, then returned a few years later. His participation was transformative, to say the least. On his subsequent visit, with the aforementioned primary school bursting at the seams from participants, he said, “Eddie, you’ve created a monster”, which was true. His wealth of experience in a lifetime playing and teaching, and especially in large-scale educational events like Aebersold workshops in the US (with over 400 participants), hugely helped advise us on how to cope with bigger numbers, tame that monster, make it nice and cuddly and plan international events properly. He also helped us structure a workshop schedule that has worked well every year since. We are excited to welcome Rufus and his amazing wife Doris back to Sligo this July.
UKJN: Two artists on your 2025 faculty – saxophonist Matthew Halpin (this year’s “Young Artist in Residence” at Sligo Jazz) and The Murray Brothers – were previously students on the Summer School. Other Summer School alumni have also made an impression on the international scene, like pianist and 2024 BBC Young Jazz Musician finalist Nils Kavanagh and 2024 Irish Jazz Musician of the Year Rory Conneally. You must be very proud of their jazz origins in Sligo…
EL: No less than seven tutors in this year’s faculty, including most of those you mentioned, once attended our summer school as participants. It’s a testament to the hard work that they have done, but of course, we are delighted to take pride in them all. I think it’s important to highlight that the illustrious alumni above would be split about 90/10 in terms of being a musician who just fell in love with jazz at our event, versus one who could be described as a naturally gifted prodigy. Nils and Rory received classical or pop piano tuition before attending our event, but they discovered jazz through our youth academy. I think it’s hugely important and something that separates our event from many others in Europe, which are more like third-level institutions – Siena, for example, which I believe holds auditions for their summer school.
UKJN: 2025 will see the largest faculty at Sligo Jazz ever. Who are some names you are most excited about?
EL: One of our stalwarts on the faculty, John Goldsby, always points out great musicians that would be a good match for Sligo – he’s an amazing guy and a brilliant musician. A few years ago, he recommended Melissa Aldana as one of the best saxophonists coming up on the scene. It took me a few years to secure her services, but happily, she is our Artist in Residence this year. I’m also very chuffed we managed to get Freddie Hendrix back – he was here last year with Elio Villafranca, our 2024 Artist in Residence. He’s doing a double bill on 23 July with the American vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, an astonishing talent, still in her twenties. Freddie will also be joined by Rufus Reid this year – it’s a beautiful thing because they are both from the same town (Teaneck, New Jersey), and I remember Freddie describing Rufus as his “jazz dad” last year. I’m also looking forward to seeing them perform together later in the week at Rufus’s headline show and our always beautiful SJP All Stars concert that Saturday night.
UKJN: A contingent of those artists are UK-based (Paul Clarvis, Gareth Lockrane, Tom Ollendorff, Ant Law and others), while others will travel from a vast array of different locations. It seems that despite its remote setting, the festival is a truly international affair…
EL: Paul has been a supporter since the first year he came, very early on in our history. He’s so generous with his time and loves nothing more than nipping into one of the pub sessions with a snare drum, playing with locals and other tutors on the faculty. He’s also a great teacher, and we hold him dear to our hearts. In 2012, for the London Olympics, Paul was asked to lead a thousand-strong percussionist army at the opening ceremony on the Friday of our festival. He rang me a couple of months prior, to ask me almost sheepishly if it might be possible to do that, and if I thought it might work if he left us for a day. Most guys would say sorry, but I’m off to London on the Friday! Anyway, being the gent that he is, Paul flew into London that Friday morning from Sligo and, thanks to Knock-Ireland-West airport, was back in his workshop in Sligo at 10am Saturday morning!
Gareth was with us for the first time last year, a truly inspiring musician and a great educator. Tom, too, was here for the first time last year, as was Netherlands-based Korean drummer Sun Mi Hong, both a revelation. Ant visits us for the first time in 2025 with his colleague Brigitte Beraha, with whom he released an album last year. We always pride ourselves on having unique combinations of Irish and international artists at our festival, many of them one-off collaborations. So yes, we will always have a good bunch of Irish tutors. This year includes the great saxophonist Michael Buckley, who’s performed with so many people, including the Mingus Big Band. I’m very much looking forward to hearing him renew his acquaintance with Rufus after almost 20 years when they played together back in our embryonic years!
You mentioned that we are in a remote spot, but that’s not entirely true. In fact, we are 40 minutes from Knock Ireland West airport, which has flights arriving daily from several UK airports, so it’s easier to reach here from London than a lot of places.
UKJN: The Summer School includes a youth academy and a course for adults – what are the differences?
EL: Its all the one really, not separate courses as such… all the morning workshops (subjects of which have varied from transcription, rhythm training, ear training etc to yoga!) are attended by the whole school and the masterclasses are not divided up per se – on some instruments like piano where we have a large number of tutors we have specific tutors for the younger attendees. The tutors often decide to split up the attendees by level or experience. The main separation of young and older participants is each afternoon when we have between 4 and 6 dedicated Youth Academy ensembles guided by a team of tutors. With the help of a great child protection team, we have a well-run youth academy in partnership with a national music education organisation called Music Generation. Last year, about 50 of the 150 attendees at the summer school were aged 10-18. Advanced young students are sometimes more advanced than some adults, so you can never just split them all by age.
UKJN: What is your message to prospective students who have anxiety about playing jazz in public?
EL: Come to our event! You can share a jam session stage with someone just as apprehensive, and you’ll receive nothing but support and love. With the help of a pretty detailed registration questionnaire, we take great care to team up musicians of roughly the same performance level in our ensembles each afternoon. You’ll note that we don’t hold auditions; we simply offer a guideline that if you’ve achieved a grade 3 or higher on your instrument, you’ll get more out of the week than if you’re a total beginner. It’s certainly worked for us, and we are proud that we have “lit the spark” in so many young musicians and put them on a pathway.
UKJN: Ultra Early Bird tickets are on sale for the Summer School. What are the advantages of registering now, and when is that offer available until?
EL: Unfortunately, that’s expired now – we released them earlier than usual this time round. But we still have plenty of subsidised youth academy rates available, and we welcome families to our event. It’s become quite a thing in recent years, with many parents and children attending for the week. We haven’t worked out family rates yet, but if anyone wants to contact me, we can work something out depending on how many in a family are coming.
UKJN: Is there anything else patrons of Sligo Jazz should know before booking tickets for this July?
EL: We’ll be uploading the full festival programme as soon as it’s done on our website. But for now, you can see what a fabulous faculty of musicians will be performing and teaching for the week. Jazz people are the best people! Even if you don’t want to learn to play jazz, you’ll have a week to remember. The Sligo Jazz family are welcoming and generous, encouraging, creative and inspiring. In my experience of twenty years running this, every single year, someone tells me it was the best week of their life. But whether you want to come to the summer school or just come for the festival, get in as early as possible because accommodation is limited. Sligo is stretched in terms of available accommodation at the moment, so the sooner you book, the better chance you have of getting in with one of our accommodation partners. Also if you’re not on the summer school (all participants get free passes to all the concerts), you need to book the festival tickets as early as possible, as the summer school is likely to take up more than half the seats of the lovely intimate Hawks Well Theatre here in beautiful Yeats Country. And stay braced for some exciting news about the next two years with some amazing artists all but confirmed for 2026 and 2027.
The 2025 annual Sligo Jazz Project Summer School and Festival runs from 22-27 July, located at multiple locations in Sligo, Ireland, including ATU Sligo and Hawk’s Well Theatre. For more information, visit the Sligo Jazz Project website (linked below).
