Jazz festival promises treats for music – and food lovers

Christchurch’s annual jazz and blues festival will be taking to the city’s lanes with two days of Taste Jazz and Taste Blues in Christchurch’s Poplar Lane precinct.

The two-day event, designed to appeal to food and music lovers, has been added to the New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival. To round out the week-long event, people will be able to enjoy café lifestyle in a relaxed atmosphere as they listen to live blues on Saturday 10 April and live jazz on Sunday 11 April in Christchurch’s top shopping and café precinct – Poplar Lanes.

“After the success of our one-day Taste Jazz event last year, we wanted to offer even more opportunity for people to relax and enjoy the music and atmosphere. We’re sure a whole weekend of Taste Jazz and Taste Blues will appeal to many,” says festival director Jodi Wright.

Jazz lovers will also be treated to a return performance from their favourite international brass musician, James Morrison in his Tribute to Louis Armstrong, which opens the festival on Monday 5 April.

His concert is expected to draw the crowds from day one of the annual New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival which runs from April 5 to 11, 2010 and features some of New Zealand’s best musicians as well as a line-up of top international performers.

The programme for the festival, which is the biggest in New Zealand dedicated to jazz and blues, will be released on February 19.

Other international acts confirmed to perform at the festival are the legendary Brian Auger and his Blues Oblivion, young UK singing-songwriting star Newton Faulkner and Seattle trumpeting sensation, Thomas Marriot.

Local performers will include Harry Harrison and guests, Jennine Bailey singing Eva Cassidy, Mark Vanilau and Band, LA Mitchell, Naomi Ferguson, and Doug Caldwell.

The 2010 festival line-up will be featured at www.jazzfestivalnz.com from 1 February.