Wellington Jazz Festival

Overview

Wellington, there's 100 gigs in five days coming at you- the Wellington Jazz Festival is back for another groovin year.

Hosting a range of musos in spaces, bars and theatres throughout the city, this is perhaps the most immersive five days of jazz you're likely to ever indulge in. Half of the gigs are under $20 (if not free! Sounds good to me) and you can get intimate with the craft of some extremely talented people up close- many of the spaces are in bars or foodie spaces, so you can eat at the same time! Score!

The highlights of this year's lineup are numerous- look out for Snarky Puppy, Lisa Fischer and Mulatu Astatke. In terms of cheaper but no less cheerful events, Kevin Field and the A List Band, Oy Azoy, The Lisa Tomlins Quartet and a raft of other free-$20 range gigs are smattered around the place. For those who enjoy Jazz history, Lighthouse Cuba are also screening The Amazing Nina Simone (about one of America's most overlooked musical geniuses) and Jazz on a Summer's Day (the classic documentary about the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival) for the price of a movie ticket (funny that- $17.50 if we're being precise).