Queenstown jazz festival strikes new chord
New Zealand’s South Island resort capital of Queenstown, gets in the swing of Spring this month with 10 days of live music during the town’s 31st annual jazz festival. The popular tourist destination will enjoy a carnival atmosphere as the ASB Queenstown JazzFest is celebrated from 17 to 26 October. The event attracts more than 21,000 visitors to the region and injects approximately NZ$6 million into the local economy.
This year more than 50 bands and 200 New Zealand and international performers will form a four-pronged programme of free gigs, ticketed headline concerts, musical development and youth competitions.
Mixed programme
Cool blues, big band swing, funky R&B, vibrant Latin sounds, Dixie bands, and jazz-influenced dance music will provide a mix of jazz styles that will be showcased around the district. Performers include top Kiwi entertainers Rodger Fox and Ray Woolf, the Neil Cowley Trio
Four categories
Queenstown Jazz Festival Trust chairperson Luke Baldock says this year the programme has been structured into four categories to enhance the festival experience:
- "This is Queenstown’s major springtime event and we want to help people get in the mood to celebrate," says Baldock.
The four-pronged festival programme is split into:
- The Concert Programme - Local, national, and international headline acts with free and ticketed concerts and free community spotlight stages.
- The Gig Programme - Involves the community in free or low cost gigs held in venues throughout the district.
- The Development Programme - To inspire and progress musical skills of all ages and levels of experience through master classes, workshops and music forums.
- The Competition Programme - Encourages artistic endeavour and highlights the skills of musicians through a national youth competition, emerging talent competition, and the JazzFest Trust awards.
Caitlin Smith Trio
The Caitlin Smith Trio will play at the Skyline JazzFest Sunday Brunch on 25 October - held at the Skyline Restaurant with panoramic views of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables.
Queenstown Jazz Festival trustee Nicola Lindsay says it’s the perfect way to start a lazy Sunday.
- "You can’t go wrong - the combination of a sumptuous brunch, magnificent panoramic views and music that soothes your soul will amount to pure escapism."
Neil Cowley Trio
The Neil Cowley Trio from the UK is considered the highlight of the Festival. The group is one of the most sought after jazz trios in the world and JazzFest visitors will be able to attend a free performance in the Novotel Queenstown’s Lakeside Gallery Bar on Thursday 22 October.
The trio’s debut album Displaced won BBC Jazz CD of the Year in 2007 and the trio has featured on BBC’s ‘Later with Jools Holland’ show, on the front of Jazzwise, the UK's leading jazz magazine, and played on the Jazz World Stage at the Glastonbury Festival.
The Neil Cowley Trio will also play during the day on Wednesday 21 October and Thursday 22 October on Queenstown’s Village Green Community Stage.
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Foto-Credit: Queenstown from top of Gondola, Quelle: Flickr, cheetah100