The blistering power and contrastive touch of tender is the night balladry from Freddie Hendrix on trumpet and flugelhorn kicked off the 2026 Sligo Jazz Festival yesterday afternoon at Lillie’s.
Freddie’s first set featured his own compositions, including ‘Hard Bop Benny‘ and ‘Barbara’ a dedication to the hard bopper’s wife.
Afro-Cuban accented when the heat was on, full of passion and a love for this great music other highlights featured ‘Blues for Clifford B,’ a piece written to honour Clifford Brown’s legacy, and a lilting slow-paced song dedicated to Freddie’s wife, Barbara, that utilised an unsual three-part horn & woodwind front line. Tunes sprung from a strong triplet feel and weren’t afraid to burst into exuberant refrain built from a strong rhythmic undertow.
Notable contributions from the ensemble included Lockrane switching to piccolo best of all and the pulsating drive of ex-Madeleine Peyroux player Beckett who was never the miserabilist.
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