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The Great Tropical Jazz Party is a
three-day festival, held each spring on World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef island of Magnetic
Island in Tropical North Queensland. Magnetic Island is just
20 minutes by fast ferry from
Townsville.
The Great Tropical Jazz Party was
founded in 1997 by the late Max Brown, island resident,
musician and teacher, in order to give local musicians and
music lovers the opportunity to hear
quality Jazz from artists who may not otherwise have traveled
to what was once considered remote
Queensland.
With a few "fellow travelers" Max
formed The Magnetic Jazz Association and, using his broad
musical network, the first group of top-line jazz musicians
were enticed to the island to perform. The musicians then,
as today, performed for no fee, and were simply enticed to
the island for the opportunity to enjoy
the balmy tropical ambience of Magnetic Island, while having
a great time playing jazz with their
peers.
The enthusiastic response from both
musicians and audience was such that a second festival became
inevitable. The word spread throughout the jazz community, as musicians from all
over Australia as well as overseas, began to express
a wish to be involved. The response to the
second event guaranteed the third and the list of musicians
wishing to be invited has continued to grow year-by-year since.
The Great Tropical Jazz Party is now one of the major
highlights on the Magnetic Island calendar.
In 2001 the Great Tropical Jazz Party shifted to
the more intimate atmosphere of the poolside at what was
then known as the International Resort, but is now the All
Seasons Magnetic Island Resort. In 2012 the Great Tropical Jazz Party will be held at Hotel Arcadia, opposite the beach at Geoffrey Bay, Arcadia, the perfect setting for cool jazz beneath
the palms. Weekend packages ensure that guests have the
opportunity to experience Jazz over five sessions that begin with
the festival opening on Friday night and ending
with an 'all in' jam session on Sunday
evening.
After fifteen annual festivals, it has become a
‘get-away’ for musicians who see it as an opportunity to
catch up and perform with their peers. The intimate and
informal tropical setting ensures that audiences are
close enough to the action to fully appreciate and
enjoy the quality of the
performances.
We're proud to support the Townsville Jazz Club Inc.
Contacts
Magnetic Jazz
Assoc Inc
President & Festival
Director - Marilyn Sheather
[email protected]
Ph 07 4778 5918
Fax 07 4778 5913
13/106 Mandalay
Ave Nelly Bay Queensland
4819
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