Jazzophiles and musicaholics can groove to three weekends worth of funky beats as Nanaimo’s International Jazz Festival kicks off.

President of the jazz society, Kim Smythe, said the longer program will be chock-full of musicians local to Vancouver Island and B.C. The festival will host 16 performances, including two-days of free open-air concerts at Maffeo Sutton Park. The headlining act with feature renowned jazz singer Holly Cole at the Port Theatre on Sept. 13.

“We’re really looking forward to having Holly,” Smythe said. “This is the first time that we’ve ventured out to get an international and highly recognized performer in hopes of having that bright shining star in the middle of our program.”

While the festival has been traditional jazz in the past, Smythe said, this year’s all-

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