Joyce & Jazz

     Join us for an evening with Melanie O’Reilly, award-winning  Irish jazz singer and songwriter, teaming with top Bay Area jazz pianist Frank Martin to perform original music inspired by writings of James Joyce, interwoven with readings from Joyce’s works by renowned actors Esther Mulligan and John Ilyin. Melanie and Frank also offer a jazz take on songs Joyce himself loved and mentions in Ulysses and various of his writings.

Melanie O’Reilly is one of Ireland’s foremost jazz singers and her own unique style of Celtic Jazz , which she has brought to international audiences, has been described as “A gorgeous sound..Celtic Cadence with a jazz sensibility. ” Contra Costa Times and “Breathtaking,… sheer virtuosity” Irish Times.  Her music has been featured in Frontline/PBS documentaries.  and she is recognised in Downbeat magazine as Ireland’s  international jazz representative having represented Ireland in the European Jazz Festival at UCLA at Schoenburg Hall. She performs in many international festivals in  Ireland , the US, and Europe..  She is also host of the Award winning radio show “Jazz on the Bay” for the Irish National Broadasting station, RTE.

As an arranger/conductor/keyboardist Frank Martin has performed and/or recorded with a variety of jazz and popular stars that include Sting, Stevie Wonder,  Bobbi McFerrin,  James Taylor, Chaka Khan and Patti LaBelle. Both Melanie and Frank are also well known music educators in the Bay Area. He’s on his way to Kazakhstan, so catch him ‘fore he goes!