Major player in Melbourne jazz scene turns hand to Wangaratta festival

Serge Carnovale, the owner of Paris Cat Jazz Club, has joined the fold as artistic director.

His inner-city Melbourne venue showcases Australia's best emerging and established jazz artists, offering 650 gigs this year alone.

Carnovale will team up with a new festival board announced in February after the event was axed in November amid financial concerns and a shrinking volunteer base.

He is excited to bring the calibre of artists back to Wangaratta after following the festival for more than two decades.

"Wangaratta Jazz and Blues has played an integral role in supporting Australian musicians over its 30-plus year history and is one of the country's premier regional festivals," he said.

"I'm excited to be involved in this new phase and showcase the very best Australian jazz and blues artists.

"There's a lot of public and industry support for this event and we really plan to put on something special.

"I've been impressed by the board's passion and desire to keep the festival going in these challenging times."

The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues will return from Friday, November 1, to Monday, November 4.

Coming into its 34th year with a fresh look, the festival had been revived under the helm of new chairman Andrew Nunn.

A Wangaratta businessman and musician, Mr Nunn said 13 venues had already been booked and $40,000 raised from crowdfunded donations.

"We've been overwhelmed by the support of our local North East community and the broader jazz and blues scene," he said.

"These donations have provided the support we have needed to lay the foundations to stage the 34th festival, and it's great seeing the jazz, blues and Wangaratta communities pushing this forward together."

Carnovale said the Australian jazz and blues sector was as strong as ever after the global pandemic.

He said there was a demoralising period when artists struggled to make ends meet without government help that was offered to other sectors.

"Now we're offering 650 shows at the Paris Cat and there was a while there we couldn't have imagined that," Carnovale said.

"The Wangaratta festival program will be all-Australian with an eclectic mix of acts and a big focus on youth bands."

The festival would continue to run the prestigious National Jazz Awards, with this year set to crown Australia's best saxophonist.

Previous winners of the Jazz Awards have reached the top of Australian jazz including ARIA award-nominated artists Kristin Berardi (vocals) and Sam Anning (bass) and Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Barney McAll (piano).

Festival-goers can expect a four-day musical feast showcasing jazz and blues of all styles, including original, contemporary, traditional, mainstream, experimental and improvised music.

The program will be announced on Monday, July 1, when tickets go on sale.