The National Jazz Festival will have a distinctly local flavour, with festival organisers enlisting the help of some of the city's most influential musicians.

Ticket sales go live today for the 56^th festival, the longest-running of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, which will be held in Tauranga this Easter.

Confirmed in the official programme are crowd favourites including the Baycourt concert series, the 41^st National Youth Jazz Competition, the TECT Big Band Bonanza on The Strand Waterfront, Downtown Carnival, the high-energy Hurricane Parties and much more.

Headline acts include world-renowned Australian trumpeter James Morrison performing with the James Morrison Quartet, the Joni Mitchell: Shadows and Light tribute featuring Wellington vocalist Lisa Tomlins, and Dr Rodger Fox bringing the Funk with special guests bassist Dewayne Pate and saxophonist Dave Wilson from USA.

Rounding out the star-studded line-up are six-piece Melbourne trad jazz and Dixieland band Shirazz, and from Sydney bluesman Isaiah B. Brunt.

Local bands include local shining star Caitriona Fallon and the Bay of Plenty's very own Kokomo as well as old-time festival favourites Woody Woodhouse Connection, Bay Dixie, and The BBC.

Festival director Craig Wilson believes they have selected the right balance of local and international musicians from an unprecedented level of performer submissions.

'We were truly spoilt for choice and it was an extremely difficult task to work out who would miss out. We would have loved to have had everyone who registered, but it wasn't possible,” explains Craig.

'We have an incredible line-up of events and acts showcasing the many different areas of jazz – from traditional New Orleans jazz to swing, bebop, fusion, blues, funk and soul – with something to suit everyone's musical tastes.”

Also proving a resounding success is the 41^st National Youth Jazz Competition.

With a significant increase in registrations, swelling to more than 300 students nationwide, organisers have extended the competition to three days (March 28 – 30). American bassist Dewayne Pate and saxophonist Dave Wilson, one of the festival's headline acts, will also take up a judging role.

'This year's competition is bigger than ever. The future of jazz has never looked brighter,” says National Youth Jazz Competition director Liam Ryan.

Craig says he's looking forward to seeing months of hard work come to fruition, with the festival continuing to put jazz and Tauranga on the map with a real showcase of talent.

He admits that visions of taking the festival to a new level with significant changes and developments to the format have been put on hold due to a lack of funding.

'We rely on our community funders and business supporters to enable us to deliver such a flagship event that really puts Tauranga on the map at Easter. And we truly appreciate all the support we are given.

'However, good intentions must sometimes give way to financial constraints.

'We had bold plans to build on the National Jazz Festival as the legacy event for Tauranga. Unfortunately, this hasn't proved viable this year, so we have taken it back to its grassroots to guarantee a festival that Tauranga locals really cherish and are proud to call their own.”

The 56^th National Jazz Festival Tauranga runs from March 28 – April 2.

For the full National Jazz Festival Tauranga programme and tickets visit www.jazz.org.nz