The 2025 Newport Jazz Festival

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Done and dusted: our Fifth Festival featured  165 musos, in six venues, two of which we used for the first time: and once we had dealt with losing the Scout Hall to a General Election, the Festival was a joyous affair. The standard of music making was noticeably higher - and it seems to get better every year. The Pearly Shells kicked things off with our busiest Friday evening yet, Bob Sedergreen packed them in, Joys Njambi and Rudegeair smooth and sophisticated, Sarah Maclaine, overcoming some  ongoing sound problems, still as warm and wonderful as ever.

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A key element of the Newport Jazz Festival is the opportunity it provides for all the other bands to thrive  in such a friendly scene: Big Band Frequency were hot, Firetail got everybody's tick of approval, The Big John Experience's Felix Thang a singer to be remembered,  Koebi Faumui came all the way from Canberra - great scat singing and youthful enthusiasm, Nadira presented a distinctive take on American song book standards, up from the Big Ho (Tassie). Steamboat Whistlers electing to play acoustic trad out in the sun. 

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 We will soon be looking at bands for Newport Jazz Festival 2026, at the beginning of May. Are you free?

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2025 Lead Sponsor

Hobsons Bay City Council. Daria Kellander (Mayor) formally opened the Festival: accompanied by local Ward Councillor Michael Disbury. Her speech underlined the extent to which the Festival is becoming an important part of the HBCC's support of the arts. 

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