BAN BAM Festival 2017

BAN BAM is a new one-day festival from Improvised Music Company with a focus on female artists in jazz and improvised music, packed full of new ideas, new sounds and new music in The Complex, Little Green St, Dublin 7 on Saturday 25th November.

A play on ‘bean’, the Irish word for woman, BAN BAM is an exciting new festival event which heralds a longer term initiative by Improvised Music Company (IMC) to highlight female musicians playing jazz, improvised and experimental music, while supporting and empowering the wider scene and next generation through a variety of activities in 2018 and beyond.

Kicking off with some late afternoon panels and discussions from 4pm, BAN BAM looks at the issues surrounding the gender imbalance within the Irish jazz scene, examining studies around unconscious bias, how gender-based social conventions influence choice of instrument, the long standing stereotypes of jazz, early music education and the role of promoters and media in addressing a gender imbalance in the wider world of live music.

BAN BAM Talks 4-6pm
4:00pm: Chicks Dig It: looking at music education and the importance of role-modelling
5:00pm: Key Changes: the role of promoters, media and the musician in addressing gender imbalance in the music industry.

More info on the talks and speakers here.

Then from 7pm til late, BAN BAM live presents a vibrant programme of live music at The Complex, headlined by London-based Afrobeat band-of-the-moment Kokoroko.

KOKOROKO (meaning 'be strong' in Urhobo) is a London collective of musicians led by a stonking all female horn section embodying the BAN-BAM ‘chicks with chops’ ethos. They will let loose at The Complex with their original brand of soul-shaking, brass-fuelled rhythms steeped in urban attitude. More here

Ruba Shamshoum’s music mixes the harmony and improvised playfulness of jazz, with tinges of her native Middle Eastern and Arabic musical influence, creating a distinctive and vibrant sound in the company of a 4 piece band.

One of BAN BAMs highlights is our specially commissioned collaboration between two of our most innovative and accomplished contemporary musicians - pianist Izumi Kimura and violinist Cora Venus Lunny, who will premiere new music together for our inaugural BAN BAM event.

Also on the bill is Polish-born, Dublin-based producer, composer singer and multimedia artist Dorota Konczewska Her distinct sound blends electronic soundscapes with beats, atmospheric melodies and traditional instrumentation. No stranger to experimentation, her instruments comprise of custom-built electronic synths and patches allowing her to chop up beats and record live loops.

Recently returned to her native West Cork after a decade playing in downtown New York, saxophonist, improviser and composer Catherine Sikora has worked regularly with Eric Mingus, Enrique Haneine, Brian Chase,Stanley Zappa, Christopher Culpo and Ross Hammond, as well as actively pursuing solo performance, with her debut solo album released last year winning high praise from international jazz critics.

BAN BAM celebrating a new standard in jazz and improvised music!

Listen to the PLAYLIST

* BAN BAM is a BYOB event. Guests are free to bring their drink of choice but we request that you please avoid glass bottles if possible. Anyone who brings glass will be asked to use our paper cups instead for health and safety reasons.

** Please note that wheelchair access at this venue will be restricted to assisted access only. Not suitable for motorised wheelchairs.