Alina Bzhezhinska and her band walked on to the Sugar Club stage bundled up in coats. It was a cold night in Dublin and everyone was visibly chilly. She joked that within a few songs we’d all warm up – she was right. The temperature rose, both physically and spiritually as she and her band mates taught the Sugar Club how great jazz can be.

Full disclosure: I had no clue that harps had a place in jazz music before learning about Bzhezhinska. I always thought that harps were an ethereal, angelic sort of instrument only reserved for quiet, posh evenings. But she fully transformed the instrument, switching between those well-known harp strums and jazzier picking patterns. Her fingers were a blur, incredibly graceful agigs they traversed the strings of the massive instrument sitting on her lap.

Applause roared after every song. She took moments between each song or two to speak to the crowd about its inspiration, which made each instrumental feel even more meaningful. Without lyrics, the tunes still evoke incredible emotion, one standout being ‘Spero’, off her latest Inspiration album. Bzhezhinska said it was about a feeling she had on her way home one night, when she realised that all we need is hope when the world around us becomes so dark. The tune was uplifting and hopeful, her mastery of the harp clear as soothing melodies filled the room.

Alina Bzhezhinska quartet 02/05/20

Each instrument had its own time to shine. Tony Kofi switched between alto and soprano saxophones, amping up the energy with his fiery jazz. Larry Bartley stood in the back with an upright bass, evoking cheers with every solo. Drummer Joel Prime stole the show with unreal rhythm and the addition of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian percussion. The band would speed things up at times and Bzhezhinska would take a moment away from her harp to dance, as much as the instrument and limited space would let her. It was clear that she felt every single note deeply.

The quartet played a range of Alice and John Coltrane interpretations and original compositions from Inspiration. Each song would blend into the next, existing in a sort of liminal space where nothing in the world mattered but the beauty of the music. A truly wonderful performance.