The four day Wangaratta Jazz & Blues, which drew to a close on Monday, achieved the highest box office in its history. Crowd numbers were also up on previous years, with over 25,000 attending its events, organisers said. Festival Chair Paul Squires said, “This has been an exceptional year for the festival and testimony to the outstanding program curated by Festival Director Adrian Jackson.”
The National Jazz Awards winner was Melbourne student Joseph O’Connor, 24, who won $10,000 and an ABC studio recording session. Sydney’s Steve Barry, 24, was runner up and Paris-based Daniel Gassin, 32, scored third prize. Judges were Mike Nock, Barney McAll and Paul Grabowsky.
The 17-day Melbourne Festival is also expected to announce a box office record of $3.2 million in earnings when the official numbers are announced later this month.
