Noosa Jazz Festival Unveils First 2015 Artist Line-Up

The annual Noosa Jazz Festival returns to Queensland for four days this September, and organisers have begun to fill that time period out nicely indeed, unveiling today the first batch of acts bound for Lions Park for the event's 24th year.

Leading the charge is festival alumnus Emma Pask, returning to the main stage for yet another brush with the easy vibes of Noosa Jazz Fest. This year, she'll be flanked by a robust roster of acclaimed jazz and related artists, including Darren Percival, Todd Hardy & Anita Spring, Jan Preston and the Inaburra Big Band.

Renowned organist brothers Clayton and Lachy Doley will also both be in attendance as performers at the festival, though not toghter — Clayton's here solo and Lachy will perform with The Lachy Doley Group. Plus, there's a huge line-up of great musicians involved in Ingrid James & Louise Denson's 'Wild Silk Strings Project'. The festival is not without a strong, and admirable, element of community goodwill, either, with slots being awarded to Sunshine Coast Grammar School and St Andrew's Anglican College as part of the event's Youth In Jazz program.

This is of course, just the first round of artists, with organisers promising more announcements in future, but the 24th Noosa Jazz Festival, presented by The Music, is already shaping up pretty damn nicely, this year sporting a picnic theme with rugs and lounge chairs and laid-back wine consumption — seriously, it sounds like bliss. It also sports the renowned Festival Village, which boasts two stages with more than 45 performances on offer, as well as workshops, masterclasses, jazz river cruises, the Legends Lunch series, big bands, swing, soul and jazz bands, and some A-list players from Australia's diverse jazz community.

Tickets are available now. Head to the event website for more information. 

noosa jazz festival 2015 first line-up

Emma Pask, Darren Percival, Todd Hardy & Anita Spring, Berardi/Foran/Karlen, Jan Preston, Clayton Doley, The Lachy Doley Group, Feel the Manouche with George Washingmachine, Ingrid James and Louise Denson’s “Wild Silk Strings Project” featuring: Andrew Shaw, Paul Hudson, Miroslav Bukovsky, John Mackey, Michael Patterson, Courtenay Lind and Eugenie Costello, Jazz Singers Jam Session, Noosa/Buderim Concert Band, Inaburra Big Band, Sunshine Coast Grammar School and St Andrew’s Anglican College, more TBA.