The musician, whose jazz ballet suite Spondance is about to be re-released, is as important to jazz as John Banville is to literature, Robert Ballagh to art and Gay Byrne to TV
Jim Doherty, known as "Lucky Jim," is an 86-year-old jazz pianist and composer celebrated as a central figure in Irish jazz. Over his 70-year career, he has been a trailblazer, defying the era's challenges when jazz was often dismissed as vulgar. Doherty, a self-taught musician, left his job at the National Bank in the 1950s to pursue jazz, studying in London and becoming a leading figure in Ireland's jazz scene. He led bands, composed for TV, theater, and ballet, and recorded notable works like *Spondance*. Despite his prominence in jazz circles, he remains relatively overlooked in the wider cultural landscape. Doherty is a living legend, shaping Irish jazz and inspiring future generations.
