The Melbourne International Jazz Festival kicks off today, with musicians from around the world touching down to showcase their talent alongside homegrown artists. Over the next ten days, Melbournians will have the chance to experience more than forty musicians across twenty venues in the CBD.

Cassandra Wilson (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Headlining the festival this year is Cassandra Wilson from the USA, named by Time Magazine in 2001 as “America’s best singer”. Her performance at the Arts Centre’s Hamer Hall will delight fans with her trademark smokey voice. Riding high on the current worldwide Latin revival are Chucho Valdes and the Afro-Cuban Messengers, also to play at Hamer Hall with their fusion of Latin jazz, Cuban folk and African beats.

Featuring local singer Mahalia Barnes, Sarah McKenzie and Michelle Nicolle, the festival opens tonight with a gala concert called Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

Featured in the HBO Television series Treme, Rebirth Brass Band hail from New Orleans and are one of that city’s institutions. Rebirth Brass Band is to play at The Forum on Swanston Street this Sunday night. America’s Christian McBride Trio are to enliven the Melbourne Recital Centre tomorrow night, with the local Alex & Nilusha opening for them. Meanwhile an international exclusive of Maria Schneider, Darcy James Argue and the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra will collaborate at the Recital Centre on Thursday night.

Melbourne’s Alex and Nilusha (Image: ABC Jazz)

A plethora of other artists are also to perform, including Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, 774’s Roaring Swing, and Thundercat with Hiatus Kaiyote.

The Melbourne International Jazz Festival was inaugurated in 1998 as part of the city’s drive to claw back from the early 1990s recession. This year’s festival features a total of 55 events across seven days and nights.

For more information and bookings, go to the Melbourne International Jazz Festival website.