The 2014 lineup for the Wangaratta Jazz & Blues Festival has just been announced. Now in its 25th year, the Festival has grown to become an internationally renowned event, attracting around 20,000 visitors each year and more than 200 jazz and blues artists from the USA, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Across the four days and nights of the pre-Melbourne Cup Day long weekend – Friday 31 October to Monday 3 November, the city will jump to the sounds of jazz and blues, from more than 300 musicians in over 80 concerts on the main program, and over 30 concerts on the Main Street free stages; as well as artist talks and masterclasses, all in venues in walking distance within the township and at nearby wineries
Headliners announced for this year’s festival include: Enrico Rava (Italy), Joe Louis Walker (USA), Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts (USA), Laura Watts (USA), Roger Manins (NZ), Lisa Parrot (Aus/USA) and blues harp master Harper (Aus/USA).
Plus you can add a vast line-up of Australia’s finest musicians to the list too, including: Allan Browne, Bob Sedergreen, Bondi Cigars, Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk, Emma Pask, Fiona Boyes, James Muller, Mike Nock, Paul Grabowsky, Ray Beadle, Sam Keevers, and a whole heap more.
Venues include the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, local restaurants, the Blues Marquee by the river and the two Reid Street Community Stages. The Festival also features food, wine and free concerts all weekend in the centre of town. Wangaratta is renowned for locally grown produce and wines from the region’s family-owned vineyards, all of which are on display at the Sunday Market. Other activities in the area include the wineries along Prosecco Road in the King Valley, bike rides from Beechworth to Wangaratta and a shuttle bus service to the Milawa Gourmet region
Artistic director Adrian Jackson said, “25 years is a landmark that no-one would have been willing to bet on back when the Festival began as a relatively modest but ambitious event in 1990. The fact that we have made it this far is due to the incredible support the Festival has received from the local community, and the way it has been embraced so enthusiastically by musicians and music lovers from around Australia and overseas.”