Kevin Stevens

Kevin Stevens is is a Dublin-based novelist and writer on history, literature, and jazz.

Heaven and Earth
Kevin Stevens travels to Ethiopia to find a tradition that has flourished against the odds.
Will Vinson (alto saxophone), Lage Lund (guitar), Ben Street (bass), Jochen Rueckert (drums), JJ Smyth’s, Dublin, 17 January 2010
Métier
Métier: Michael Buckley (saxophones), Justin Carroll (Fender Rhodes), Joe O’Callaghan (guitar), Ronan Guilfoyle (bass), Sean Carpio (drums), Cabinteely House, County Dublin, 15 October 2009
I Feel a Draught
Lester Young — musical visionary and ensemble journeyman, hipster icon and distant loner — was the most influential instrumentalist in early jazz but, in his prime, never led his own band. On the fiftieth anniversary of his death, we remember the life of an artist who laid the groundwork for the revolution that was to come.
Fuzzy Logic Ensemble
Mouthpiece, Diatribe (DIACD009)
Kevin Brady Trio, featuring Bill Carrothers
Zeitgeist / Fresh Sound New Talent LRP 005
Mark McKnight
Overnight / ReMark Records
The Olympia Theatre, Dublin / 10–11 June 2009
Music Beyond the Curtain
The roll of jazz in Eastern Europe through the decades
Live: Lionel Loueke Trio
J.J. Smyth’s, Dublin / 15 March 2009
Togetherness / Living Room Project (LRP 004)
CD Review: Si Dolce è il Tormento – Francesco Turrisi
Si Dolce è il Tormento / Diatribe DIACD003
Live: Buffalo Collision
Ethan Iverson (piano), Tim Berne (alto saxophone), Hank Roberts (cello), Dave King (drums) / The Sugar Club, Dublin / 28 January 2009
Village Music
The 12 Points! festival overrides old ‘European jazz’ tags
CD Reviews: Organics
Liquid Sunshine / Living Room Project LRP 003
CD Review: Trihornophone
Breathing Time / Diatribe DIACD004
Hearing Voices
Kevin Stevens meets the innovative saxophonist David Murray
Sunflowers
Jazz in Marciac in the south of France, and Dún Laoghaire’s Festival of World Cultures
Live Reviews: John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitar), Michael Buckley (saxophone), Ronan Guilfoyle (bass), Joey Baron (drums) / Whelan’s, Dublin / 14 September 2008
CD Review: Simon Jermyn
Simon Jermyn – Trot A Mouse / FSNT 318
Kevin Stevens meets two new collectives in the Irish jazz scene.
CD Reviews: Métier
Cascade / Improvised Music Company
Think Global, Play Local
Now in its ninth year, the Bray Jazz festival in May has emerged as the leading Irish jazz festival after Cork. Kevin Stevens was there.
Dave Binney (alto saxophone), Craig Taborn (piano), Scott Colley (bass), Brian Blade (drums) / Whelan’s, Dublin / 12 May 2008
CD Review: Cormac Kenevey – The Art of Dreaming
The Art of Dreaming, Candid Records, CCD 79853
Michael Buckley (tenor saxophone, flute), Justin Carroll (piano), Ronan Guilfoyle (bass), David Lyttle (drums) & Greg Osby (alto saxophone)JJ Smyth’s, Dublin24 February 2008The enrichment of jazz education in Ireland in recent years has created many...
Outer Way
Kevin Stevens considers the career of guitarist John McLaughlin ahead of his first appearance in Dublin.
Now's The Time: The State of Irish Jazz
The jazz scene in Ireland has witnessed a rush of young talent and now plays host to a long list of international artists. Kevin Stevens looks at the range of music out there and explores the next steps for Irish jazz.
CD Reviews: Kevin Brady
Common Ground / LRP Music, LRP002
Live Reviews: Pharoah Sanders Quartet
Tripod, Dublin / 3 February 2008