Ten-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan will headline the Melbourne International Jazz Festival with a concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
In her only Australian concert, the American veteran will celebrate 50 years in the music industry, during which she has redefined soul, jazz, pop and funk, with hits including I’m Every Woman and Ain’t Nobody.
Over six hours of funk, jazz, disco and soul to kick off the festival, Nile Rogers and Chic, the outfit behind classic songs including Le Freak and Good Times, will also take to the stage with Horns of Leroy, as well as ARIA-winning neo soul queen Kaiit.
Boasting the biggest line-up of acts in the event's 26-year history, there will be more than 100 performances over 10 days.
There will also be a classic New Orleans jazz parade on the streets of the city, with the Hot 8 Brass Band leading a march along the Yarra, through Southbank and to Federation Square.
Fed Square will also host days of free performances, including Zimbabwean-born soul artist Thndo, singer-songwriter Rita Satch debuting material from her forthcoming album, and the festival's First Nations resident artist, Bumpy.
Beasts of No Nation return with a tribute to the legends of Afrobeat and highlife, a movement that originated in Ghana with a fusion of African meters and Western jazz melodies.
Highlife music originator, 87-year-old Ghanaian guitarist Ebo Taylor, will also play in Australia for the first time in his six-decade career.
The Melbourne International Jazz Festival runs from October 20-29.
