Wood Quay Summer Sessions - Aleka & Cian Boylan Quartet

About this event

The Wood Quay Summer Sessions is a series of free lunchtime concerts presented by Dublin City Council in association with First Music Contact, Improvised Music Company, Contemporary Music Centre & Music Network. The concerts which will take place every Thursday throughout July from 1pm-2pm in the newly renovated Wood Quay Amphitheatre.

The aim of the sessions is to promote and support the great wealth of musical talent which exists in our capital city and across the country. Each week, we will showcase the very best of upcoming and established musical acts in a range of genres including Jazz, Traditional, Soul, Contemporary & Rock.

On July 6th, in the first of this series of concerts, Improvised Music Company (IMC) will present Aleka at 1pm, followed at 1:30pm by the Cian Boylan Quartet featuring Ben Castle.

ABOUT ALEKA
Aleka is a Romanian vocalist, cellist, composer and lyricist who draws influence from her home country, using folk melodies interspersed with jazz harmony and eastern rhythms as well as Debussy and Bella Bartok, inspired by her experience in the classical music world. The approach of the band may seem like it adheres to the traditional sentiments of a vocal jazz quartet however, it is influenced by a broad spectrum of styles from the roots of jazz to the contemporary reaches of pop music.Aleka's voice is a myriad of textures and sonorities. She spent time exploring bell canto technique as well as the nuances and colours of oriental music and soul. All of these influences and styles culminate in a refined vocal sound that is very personal. Aleka released her debut EP in November 2016, receiving a 4 star review in The Irish Times.

ABOUT CIAN BOYLAN
Pianist Cian Boylan joins forces with the wonderful UK saxophonist Ben Castle and an enviable rhythm section for a very special jazz quartet performance, mixing original compositions with favourite jazz standards. Cian Boylan is a pianist, songwriter, composer, arranger and producer. A versatile musician, he is equally at home as a jazz and rock/pop session pianist as he is arranging and composing for orchestra, big band and smaller ensembles. He is also an experienced musical director and published songwriter and composer.

ABOUT BEN CASTLE
British-born, Dublin-resident saxophonist Ben Castle intuitively strikes the perfect balance between studied skill and natural instinct. A saxophonist, clarinettist, composer, songwriter and arranger, Castle has worked with many of the leading lights of the music world, including Duke Special, Radiohead, Matthew Herbert, Gregory Porter and Sting. In 2014, Castle released his Over The Moon EP with his band The Tombola Theory, playing original pop music inspired by traditional jazz.

ABOUT IMPROVISED MUSIC COMPANY (IMC)
Improvised Music Company (IMC) is an Arts Council funded resource for Irish jazz musicians, and a specialist music promoter for jazz and ethnic music events in Ireland. IMC produce 4 festivals annually as well as both intimate and large scale concerts of Irish and international jazz, experimental and world music artists. Founded by Irish jazz musicians and supporters in 1991, IMC exists to support and develop the jazz scene in Ireland by inspiring, challenging and engaging with new and existing audiences through innovative programming, while supporting the career development of Irish jazz musicians at home and abroad