Following last month’s announcement of six-time Grammy winning artist Daniel Ho, Ukulele Bartt from Los Angeles, Hawaiian ukulele jazz sensation Abe Lagrimas Jr. and Japan’s hottest young player Ryo Natoyama, the Cairns Ukulele Festival has added two internationally renowned acts to the bill.

First lady of Australian Jazz, Janet Seidel and Trio will be making a much anticipated appearance in Far North Queensland, along with uber-cool Japanese instrumental duo Nino and Gogo who have established themselves as one of Japan’s premier ukulele acts in recent years.

After having been unable to work in the Cairns festival dates with their busy domestic touring schedule the past few years, the stars have finally aligned. As a result, Cairns will be the first and only Australian city to witness the amazing songwriting talent of this duo.

To jazz aficionados, the Janet Seidel Trio needs no further introduction. With one of the finest jazz voices in this country, Janet will be joined by brother David on double bass and Chuck Morgan on lead ukulele. The trio is sure to appeal to ukulele and jazz lovers alike.

If anyone had any preconceptions about the limitations that the diminutive four-stringed instrument might have, Chuck is sure to blow them out of the water with some of the hottest jazz chops on ukulele in the business. In addition, Chuck, Janet and David will be conducting workshops during the festival. The trio has recorded dozens of albums, taking them to jazz festivals the world over and securing them resident gigs in the UK every year.

The Janet Seidel Trio will perform Friday July 4th at the Hilton with Ryo Natoyama and Abe Lagrimas Jr, while Nino and Gogo will be part of the finale concert on Sunday July 6th at Gilligan’s, which also features Daniel Ho.

Early bird tickets for both concerts will be available online from Thursday April 24th. Seating is very limited and last year’s concerts sold out so don’t delay!