The Festival organisers wouldn't have expected the Christchurch disaster, nor could they control the weather at Easter which was quite abysmal for the Jazz Festival.
They do however seem to be getting well away from the original Jazz Society event, as originally envisaged by the enthusiasts, with a new commercialism and seeking out big-name, expensive artists who are not necessarily better, sometimes quite the reverse. What's to stop Tauranga from using more of the home-grown local talent?
Who picks up the Jazz Festival losses? Other than contributing funds to the event; do TCC or TCC ratepayers have any exposure to what will in all probability be substantial losses this year? Who ultimately controls the Jazz Festival and who are those people accountable to? The Jazz Festival was to some extent far more accessible and enjoyable several years ago when it didn't purport to be something it can't realistically aspire to. Instead, it seems to have become an all-out excuse for liquor consumption and nosh-ups while ‘listening' to the Jazz music is incidental, or at least that seems to be the case on The Strand and at the Historic Village. Surely the music should be the main attraction, not the sideshow?
S. Paterson, Arataki.