Home » Jazz Musicians » Murray Brothers

Murray Brothers

Described by the Irish Times as, ” two rising stars of the northwest’s blossoming jazz scene”, Micheal and Conor Murray, twin brothers, are considered to be two of the rising stars of Irish jazz.

Born in the rugged, rural landscape of County Donegal Ireland, Conor and Micheal began experimenting with various different instruments in Irish traditional music like the Fiddle, Guitar, and Tin Whistle before settling on Saxophone and Double Bass respectively at age twelve.

They both developed a strong love for jazz music soon after and quickly began to develop a reputation around Donegal. In 2013, at the Sligo Jazz Project, the brothers met Irish Jazz Drummer David Lyttle who the have had the honour of working with and being mentored since then.

In 2015 they moved to Glasgow to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, under the direction of Tommy Smith, and gained experience performing in many of Scotland’s jazz clubs with some of the country’s top musicians. Since graduating they have returned to Ireland and over the past year have toured extensively with David Lyttle in Ireland, Britain, Europe, Russia and Morocco, and performed in Ireland with world-renowned U.K. pianist Jason Rebello, Canadian jazz star Lucian Gray and New York pianist Michael Kanan . Hailed as rising stars and the best in the new generation of Irish jazz, they have attracted praise from The Times, All About Jazz and the Irish Times for their live performances and their Falcarragh Winter Jazz Festival, now in its fourth year.

The brothers have recorded their debut record, Murrays Law, with their trio featuring David Lyttle, and is set to be released on Lyte Records on July 9th.

Tags

13
Interview

Murray Brothers: A Law Unto Themselves

Read "Murray Brothers: A Law Unto Themselves" reviewed by Ian Patterson


They are two of the most promising jazz musicians to have emerged from Ireland in some years. Bassist Conor Murray and twin brother Micheal Murray (alto saxophone) grew up with Irish traditional music in the small, Gaeltacht—Gaelic-speaking—town of Falcarragh, in County Donegal. Both discovered jazz in their early teens and have been regulars at the annual Sligo Jazz Project, first as students and latterly as instructors. Graduates of the jazz program at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, ...

9
Interview

Conor Murray & Micheal Murray: Putting Falcarragh On The Jazz Map

Read "Conor Murray & Micheal Murray: Putting Falcarragh On The Jazz Map" reviewed by Ian Patterson


It's just gone half past midday and yet double bassist Conor Murray and twin brother, saxophonist Micheal Murray, are gearing up for their second media engagement of the day. If this were New York or London such hustle and bustle mightn't be unusual for two seasoned jazz musicians with a CD to launch, except the Murrays have yet to record in their short career to date. And this isn't New York -it's Falcarragh, a small town hugging the Atlantic in ...

Read more articles
“Irish jazz stars on the rise” – The Independent

Photos

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.