A Legacy of World-Class Jazz

The Brisbane International Jazz Festival has built a reputation for presenting world-class jazz alongside the very best of Australia’s creative music community.

Across its many iterations, the festival has featured an outstanding range of local, interstate and international artists, including Esperanza Spalding, Herbie Hancock, Joe Lovano, Linda May Han Oh, Marcus Strickland, Tigran Hamasyan, Caroline Davis, Kenny Barron, John Scofield, Lisa Simone and David Sánchez. At the same time, the festival has remained deeply committed to supporting Australian artists, with performances by Kristin Berardi, Vince Jones, Michelle Nicolle, James Sherlock and The Vampires.

A defining part of the festival’s identity is its commitment to commissioning and presenting new work. Over many years, the Brisbane International Jazz Festival has supported original music by Queensland composers, providing a platform for ambitious projects and contributing to the evolving voice of jazz in this state.

The videos below offer a snapshot of this history, capturing some of the performances and commissioned works that reflect the breadth, diversity and creative energy of the festival.