Just to open with a warning for those who follow this column for it's slightly cynical bent – this week we have a ‘cute kids' story.

Perhaps extreme old age is causing me to lose some of my curmudgeonliness. I can only use the excuse favoured by those who post Facebook pictures of cute cats... 'but they are really cute”.

Shenazaar, Max, Dom and Josh.

One of the smartest things the Jazz Festival ever did was set up the National Youth Band Competition.

Not only were young musicians encouraged and their talents encouraged, but they also became a part of the festival and experienced performing in a professional environment.
To see the success of this approach look no further than the list of top jazz musicians around the country who in their early years won awards at the Youth Band Competitions, a list that includes Nathan Haines, Hollie Smith, Charmaine Ford, Grant Winterburn, Trudy Lisle and many more.

But those competitions are for secondary schools and I'm surprised it took some bright spark until 2012 to come up with the next logical step.

Looking for ways to encourage families and more young folk to get on board the jazz express, they approached Carol Storey who in addition to being a singer is a remarkable music educator with a focus on youth participation and performance.

Carol had the idea for Baby Jazz. The concept was to have kids between eight and 14 perform with an adult Jazz Band. She says it was 'embraced by the Jazz Festival and I was given the responsibility of putting it all together for 2013... it was very successful so we did it again in 2014 and 2015.”

In 2015 the group moved to the Exhibition Hall at Baycourt, and the tie-in with the Youth Band Competition was completed. Carol says, 'Performers and the audience could see the pathway which would lead to the Youth Competitions in Baycourt's main Theatre.”

But the kids wanted more. They wanted to perform between festivals, and that's exactly what they're doing next weekend. At 4.30pm next Saturday (November 14) Baby Jazz are playing at the Art Gallery backed by a band of local jazz luminaries (Andrea Meredith, Wayne Melville, Jeff Baker, Murray Mason).

From Tauranga Intermediate there are singers Dominic Pearson (12), Shenazaar Sta Lucia (12), and Josh Hulbert (13), and pianist Max Henderson (12) – whose dad accompanies him on upright bass – while from St Mary's School there are trumpeters Ned Shaw (8) and Sylvester Green (10). There are also performers from Bethlehem Primary and College, Tahatai Coast School and Mt Maunganui College.

Tickets are $15 or $5 for 12 years and under from the Tauranga Art Gallery.

If you're looking for something to listen to this weekend, here's a suggestion: there's an interesting English bluesman by the name of Dave Boy Ferry playing at Brew Bar on the Strand on Saturday from 5-8pm. No cover charge.

Dave is based in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland and specialises in acoustic blues, playing ‘bottleneck' guitar and harmonica and touring regularly in Europe. In the late 1970s he embarked on a journey in search of the roots of blues and spent a year in Africa. Since then he has lectured concerning the link between traditional African music and the Delta Blues.

Backing will be provided by percussionist Warren Houston (who recorded an album with Dave in Switzerland) and guitarist Mike Garner. Could be fun.

watusi@thesun.co.nz

Ned Shaw, 8 and Sylvester Green, 10.

The Weekend Sun has a double pass to the Baby Jazz event to give away to one lucky reader who can tell us where the event is being held?

Enter online at www.sunlive.co.nz under the competitions section.

Entries must be received before Wednesday, November 11.