top of page

BIOGRAPHY

NIGEL

Nigel Mooney is widely regarded as Ireland's leading jazz singer and guitarist. A charismatic figure on the Dublin jazz and blues scenes since the early 1980's, his Gripewater Blues Band spearheaded the blues movement in Ireland and drew many fans of both jazz and the blues.

A self-taught musician, Mooney was influenced by the blues from an early age and his hard-bop style of guitar playing is expressive and melodic with a bluesy groove. He possesses a warm and rich tenor voice and has an almost flawless sense of pitch.

His first album, "All My Love's In Vain" (Rubyworks) was released in 2005 to critical acclaim and has become one of Ireland's highest selling albums by a jazz artist. The single, "Beautiful Day" charted on the Irish hit parade and still receives regular airplay.

In May 2013, Mooney's second album, "The Bohemian Mooney", was released to critical acclaim, featuring as "Record of the Week" on mainstream R.T.E. radio (a rare honour for a jazz recording); the Irish Times review awarded the album four stars before going on to award it International Jazz Album of the Year in December 2013.

CHARLIE 

Charlie's genes were steeped in the blues and jazz tradition since day one. His mother Mia Parsons and father Nigel Mooney are intensely musical and it is no coincidence that Charlie spends every waking moment immersed in making beautiful music.

He received an honours degree in jazz guitar and his playing also lends itself to the styles of hard-bop and the blues. During his time studying he began gigging professionally on the Dublin jazz scene and added singing to his canon. His smooth and dulcet voice has often been likened to that of Chet Baker's and it seemed like the natural progression to pay tribute to the jazz legend with his quintet. Their first show with the band "Charlie sings Chet" sold out J.J. Smyth's; the legendary venue and the home of jazz and blues in Dublin.

As well as performing with 'Moon & Son' and his own quintet, Charlie also regularly sings with the 21 piece 'Downtown Big Band'.

MOON & SON
Nigel has been playing jazz and the blues throughout Ireland and beyond for over thirty years and in that time he has played at thousands of weddings and dinner-dances in many different guises, from his early days with the Gripewater Blues Band through his time as guitarist with the legendary Earl Gill's Band. Moon & Son is the newest outfit for the pair. After years of talking about it they finally put the two guitars together in 2014 and have been gigging together ever since.
bottom of page