Manawatū Jazz Festival to showcase top New Zealand and regional artists

Manawatū Jazz Festival artistic director Rodger Fox.

The Manawatū Jazz Festival has been held for more than 50 years and is set down for October.

Scheduled for Queen's Birthday which was in the middle of level 2, the festival will now open October 28 to November 1.

The event, Manawatū Jazz & Blues Festival Decanted, will profile jazz, blues, big band, Kevin Downing's guitar experience and artists with their own jazz specialty.

Artistic director Rodger Fox says the festival which will be based at the Globe, avoids traditional Labour weekend activities and instead provides a following weekend of quality jazz and blues.

Planning has reached an advanced level with Fox and his team showcasing top New Zealand and regional artists.

They include Andrew London, Blues Buffet with Erna Ferry and the Swamp City Big Band in the big band bash.

More artists will be announced.

A feature will be the café scene where, for the price of a cup of tea or a coffee, patrons will experience the best of jazz.

A further attraction is the Star Shine competition where big bands and combos from secondary schools throughout New Zealand attend masterclasses and compete for a range of awards.

"With the support of the Palmerston North City Council we've been able to make our ticket prices affordable," says Fox.

"We know how disappointed people were that our Queen's Birthday festival couldn't go ahead, but now we're offering a spring attraction of quality jazz and blues for them to enjoy."