Waiheke Jazz Festival

Overview

Waiheke Jazz Festival is back this Easter with more international artists for all your essential jazz needs, and what better location than our humble little island in the Hauraki Gulf. Known for its wine and laid back style of living, Waiheke is the perfect pick to have this jazzed-up festival and to kick back and enjoy your surroundings.

Kicking off the Good Friday Groove lineup on March 25 is Melbourne's Sex on Toast, an irrepressibly charismatic ten-man band specialising in raw early '80s funk, with some key improvisation and heartfelt soul. Sal Valentine and the Babyshakes will also be in tow for the festival, regarded as one of the top acts in the country with their rhythm and soul repertoire, they are also claiming the double digits with ten musicians in total making up the act.

The rest of the long weekend plays out in similar fashion, with acts from around the globe - playing from 12pm until late. Hopetoun Brown are focused around lead singer Tim Stewart's larger than life soulful voice, coupled with the deep tones of Nick Atkinson's bass clarinet. Their unique New Orleans sound is tied up with wind instruments and the brass horn creating some stone-cold funk sounds.

There will also be a few sets where the king of jazz, Frank Sinatra, is paid tribute by the talented Liam Burrows from Australia's Got Talent. Acclaimed for his talent as a singer-performer from a young age, he has travelled Australia headlining some major jazz festivals and is now on our shores.