Tauranga swings to jazz festival
31 Mar 2010
National Jazz Festival
- Tauranga
1 - 5 April
2010
Tauranga comes alive with the sounds of soul, bebop, ragtime, swing, Dixieland and funk over Easter as jazz lovers swing into the 48th National Jazz Festival - the world’s third oldest jazz festival and an iconic Kiwi event.
Six-time Grammy award-winning jazz legend Dr John will headline the festival with his band, The Lower 911. Dr John has performed and recorded with Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Sonny and Cher, Van Morrison and Aretha Franklin in the course of his career.
"Bringing Dr John to Tauranga is a dream come true. He’s regarded as one of the New Orleans legends, mentioned in the same breath as Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino," says festival director Arne Herrmann.
Also featured in the international line-up is UK jazz great Brian Auger, considered "the godfather of acid jazz". He will be joined by son Karma on drums and daughter Savannah on vocals.
Jazz Steamtrain
An old favourite - the Jazz Steamtrain - will return to this year’s festival. The coal-powered locomotive will take visitors on a trip down memory lane in its authentically-restored carriages, some of which are more than a century old.
Three jazz bands will stroll between the carriages as the train chugs around the beautiful Bay of Plenty countryside, providing entertainment between courses of fine wine, food and refreshments.
The four-hour "Coastal Discovery" trip journeys through Te Puke - "kiwifruit capital of the world" - and beside magnificent stretches of sandy coastline while the shorter "Coastal Express" offers stunning coastal views from Mt Maunganui to Te Puna, in the western Bay of Plenty.
Jazzy days and nights
The 2010 festival programme mixes old and new highlights including the Jazz Village, an amazing re-creation of the famous French Quarter in New Orleans.
Another highlight is the Downtown Tauranga Carnival, featuring the Indigenous Stage - a Māori jazz stage where talented Māori musicians create unique jazz music using a blend of traditional musical instruments and Māori language. The carnival is free and open to the public.
The two-night Global Breakthrough concert series features international guest vocalists Vanessa Freeman from the UK, and South Africa’s DJ Pierre Estienne. This event will be staged in an aircraft hangar at Mt Maunganui’s Classic Flyers museum.
Jazz at the Movies is another fun part of the programme. In a festival first, British silent movie composer Paul Lewis has created an original music score to accompany an afternoon viewing of rare footage about life in New Zealand from the Jazz Age of the 1920s through to the 1960s.
Background: Tauranga and Bay of Plenty
Tauranga - the main city in the North Island’s Bay of Plenty region - is the gateway to one of New Zealand’s largest natural harbours.
Iconic Mauao or Mt Maunganui, a mountain sacred to Māori and a popular walking spot, towers above the city.
The Bay of Plenty region is rich in Māori culture and history, with many sacred spots, pa or fortified village sites.
Bay of Plenty’s year-round outdoor attractions include swimming with dolphins, big game fishing, and guided walks on White Island, an active marine volcano.
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