The Newcastle Jazz Festival begins on Friday with 52 bands and more than 200 musicians performing across four stages.
The 34-year-old festival, held at Newcastle City Hall, attracts music lovers from across Australia and beyond.
It features styles such as New Orleans jazz, swing bands, orchestras, funk, blues, solo piano and contemporary music, along with Gypsy and Brazilian styles.
Festival band co-ordinator Doug Saxon said "jazz has such a wide-ranging spectrum".
"At the jazz festival, you have four rooms going at one time. There's a different style in each room," he said.
"Some people like traditional jazz, some like mainstream, some modern. And we have a few unusual things in between."
Former Newcastle resident and marching koala - now Professor of Trombone at Basel Music Academy in Switzerland, Adrian Mears - will make a guest appearance.
Newcastle band Cygan Groove, which plays Gypsy jazz, will be among the festival's performers.
Violinist Anthea Wikstrom said the band played "old fashioned music".
"It's really nice for us to share that with people who might not have heard it before," Ms Wikstrom said.
"It's kind of an old tradition of jazz."
She said the festival was a great way for people to "hear different styles of world music coming together from different jazz periods".
"It's a free-roaming environment where you can walk into a room, watch something and have a listen and then move into another room to watch a big band," she said.
"It's a really good festival for people to come to because they can immerse themselves in jazz."
Mr Saxon said this year's program featured for the first time an all-female band named Mousai and former local and internationally acclaimed bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott.
He added that "swing is king in this year's program", with dance floors available for those who "like to move to the music".
Other Newcastle performers include Rehab Brass Band, Terrence Koo Trio with Brynn Hulls, Fish Fry, Half Nelson, Heather Price and the Dungeon Small Band, the Australian Army Newcastle Big Band and the HSPA Stage Band.
Mr Saxon said Newcastle's jazz scene had been revived.
"The Newcastle Improvised Music Association has music every Tuesday evening. And the Newcastle and Hunter Jazz Club promotes mainstream and traditional jazz on the last Sunday of the month at South Leagues Club.
"Both groups host a jazz jam night every Thursday at The Grand Hotel."
Festival tickets are available through Civic Theatre and newcastlejazz.com.au.
