Waiheke jazz festival revived with four new venues.

Waiheke jazz festival revived with four new venues, more acts

Waiheke Island’s Easter weekend jazz festival is back, with a bigger line-up of artists, more events, and four new exclusive venues.

The Waiheke Island International Jazz Festival will take place on the island from April 22 - 24. Event Director John Quigley, a founding member of Nairobi Trio and Music Department head at the Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand (MAINZ), has revived the once iconic festival last held in 2006.

The new-look festival programme gives ticket holders more choice around performance times, with day and weekend passes, and a series of evening and one-off concerts.

“We’ve completely re-jigged the programme to include one-off events like the Good Friday Groove and an exclusive event for Super Gold Card holders. This festival is Auckland's only big event on the musical calendar over the Easter weekend and we want to give jazz fans a fantastic time."

Nearly 20 acts will perform, with Denmark’s Dixieland Gipsy (subs:crrt) Band, sultry singer Shaynee Rainbolt from New York and guitar ace Jonas Julio from Indonesia heading to New Zealand for the first time. Quigley says 26-year-old Julio is a rising star in the jazz world. “The Nairobi Trio recently played alongside Jonas at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta and he was just astounding…so young and uniquely gifted.”

The Dixieland Gipsy Band are seasoned international performers, acclaimed for their musicianship and spirited performances. Jazz Times magazine described Rainbolt as "sweet as jasmine, bold as brass and yet as seductive as a candlelit boudoir".

Local acts confirmed include Nathan Haines, the Andrew Spraggen-led Sola Rosa, Nairobi Trio with special guest Nigel Gavin, Graham Wardrop, The Grand Central Band, Caitlin Smith and talented newcomers The Jimmy Garden Quartet.

The venues include beachfront restaurants The Dunes in Onetangi and newly-opened The Bay in Matiatia. The hilltop location of Waiheke Island Resort in Palm Beach offers stunning ocean views and jazz performers will either play poolside or in the banquet room.

“We’ve moved the main events indoors to spacious venues, so our acts are guaranteed to perform despite any bad weather,” says Quigley.

The venues are fully licensed and will offer a special ‘jazz menu’ during performances. Jazzabout buses will transport visitors to the four venues over the three-day event.

Rangihoua Estate in Rocky Bay, which has a natural amphitheatre in bush-clad grounds, will host the one-off ‘Good Friday Groove’ afternoon event. Local food producers will provide a selection of food stalls.

The festival will launch with the ‘Jazz ‘n’ Sizzle’ function at The Bay on April 22nd and closes on Sunday 24th April with a Grand Finale Concert featuring an all-star cast. Early bird tickets are available until 31 March.

What: The Waiheke Island International Jazz Festival

When: Friday 22nd April to –Sunday 24th April 2011

Where: The Dunes, Rangihoua Estate, Waiheke Island Resort and The Bay

Tickets available from www.eventfinder.co.nz or visit www.waihekejazzfestival.co.nz

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