Shona McGarry
Societies Editor
After going to a few society events, there’s something that you’ll learn. They never. Ever. Start on time. Last Tuesday’s Jazz Soc Showcase got going at nine, which, to be fair, was only half an hour out. Happily, nobody seemed particularly bothered by the event’s tardiness, except maybe the barman, who had to field a few too many questions from me about how expensive gin and tonics should actually be. The basement of Sweeney’s on Dame Street was the location for what was to be the first showcase of the year. And what, dare you ask, is a showcase? What, indeed, is a ‘jazz soc’? Something from the jazz age? Whatever that is? Full of people called Scat and Fats, who play pianos in alleyways? (Have watched The Aristocats one too many times, I think.) These were the kind of questions I was asking myself as I sat with my (overpriced, just saying) gin and tonic in a dark corner. Luckily the chair, Patrick McNestry, was on hand to diffuse the cliched cloud of jazz that was gradually taking me over.
The first thing I learnt was that the Jazz Soc covers ‘everything under the umbrella of what you might think jazz is’. Like funk? They’ve got it. More of a soul chap? Bingo. And if bluegrass is more your thing (let’s face it, of course it is), you’re sorted, too. But what does the Jazz Soc do for its members on a practical level? Well, they can hook you up with a band if you’re a singer, provide a database if you’re looking for a new drummer, or just give you an opportunity to have a bit of a jam. Which is apparently what everyone’s doing these days. ‘Jam sessions’ (am becoming a pro at this jazz lingo thing) are ‘once a week or once a fortnight’, and are all themed, which is pretty cool. Last week there was a ‘gypsy jazz’ theme, and next time it’s Nina Simone, ‘to attract singers’. How does it work? Well, it’s ‘based around a standard jazz song’, and happens in the evening, presumably because no self-respecting jazz musician is actually functionally awake during the daylight hours. Obviously. If you want to pop along to watch or, indeed, to jam, just check out their Facebook page, which will tell you where and when the next one’s going to be.
Anyway, back to the showcase. What’s that, you say? Something that does exactly what it says on the tin, like those old ads for furniture glue (nobody remembers them, then? Right. That’s the last time I use that as a comparison for anything). A showcase just shows off what the singers and musicians and jazzheads of the society are doing, and also boasts a well-known headliner, like Edel Meade, who’s here tonight. The next showcase they’ve got in the works is ‘Movember-themed’ – that’s right, moustaches all around. The reason they’re so popular – the place got steadily busier as the first act got to grips with ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ – is because they’re as much about listening as they are about participating. So even if you’re not the next Chubby Jackson (the double-bassist, don’t you know), you can still enjoy a bit of jazz once a month courtesy of the society. Later on in the evening we were treated to an interpretation of Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’, so there really is a bit of all-you-can-eat going on at the showcase – you never know what you’re going to get. Also in the pipeline is a plan involving an ‘improvised jazz association’ – a project that is going to be more ‘audience-based’ than anything they’ve ever done. And with their annual trip to the Cork Jazz Festival only a week behind them, they’ve got the whole year to showcase, jam, and generally jazz up the Trinity calendar.
More information? Don’t mind if I do! Check out TCD Jazz Society on Facebook, and on Twitter (@tcdjazzsoc).
