THE next Kiwi jazz sensation could be unearthed in Tauranga this Easter, when a record 320 students vie for glory at the 41st National Youth Jazz Competition.
Next week the 56th National Jazz Festival Tauranga begins.
Kicking off the event (March 28-30) is the youth competition which sees 17 combos and 14 big bands from secondary schools across the country strutting their stuff at Baycourt – looking to follow in the footsteps of past winners including Nathan Haines, Hollie Smith and Sacha Vee.
Schools from as far south as Canterbury and as far north as Kerikeri will make the trip, with locals from Mount Maunganui College and Otumoetai College competing for the first time alongside fellow newcomers from Christchurch's St Andrews College and Hamilton's St Paul's Collegiate School.
"For 41 years the National Youth Jazz Competition has showcased the hottest young jazz talent from across the country," says National Youth Jazz Competition director Liam Ryan.
"This year we have been overwhelmed with registrations and a positive result of this is extending the competition across three days to showcase everyone."