A pianist for more than 50 years, Mr Vella has set out to see the jazz era have its resurgence.

Coinciding with International Jazz Day on Tuesday, Mr Vella plans to tickle the ivories non-stop from morning until night at Bay 85.

"Wagga's interest in jazz has waned in [the past few] years," Mr Vella said.

Australia was announced as the host nation for this year's international observance, with headline acts to perform all over the major cities.

"Australia's got a big part in it this year, but [Wagga] is missing out," Mr Vella said.

"I can't bear to do nothing on such an important day, in my opinion."

His enthusiasm for the genre and fervour against its retirement has been spurred on by the recent cancellation of Wagga's famed jazz festival.

Run consecutively for two decades, the annual event has been dropped from the city's calendar after failing to attract crowds.

Its drop in vogue, Mr Vella believes, is the result of the music's misrepresentation in popular culture.

"People don't really know what jazz is," he said.

"They think it's weird music that's hard to listen to.

"But what they don't realise is that anyone can play jazz. A child playing one note on a piano can be part of a jazz ensemble."

Citing the decline in live music the world over, including the recent loss of Wagga's live music stable, The Home, Mr Vella described the experience of jazz music as witnessing and participating in music history.

"We are inventing music as we go along," he said.

"It transcends gender or social [status]. It works and it doesn't matter how [talented] you are, it's about having the confidence to step up.

"It's open for anyone, it's not an elite form of music. What jazz really does is break down the social barriers, that's it's beauty."

The 53-year-old recently completed his bachelor of music, focusing on the history and composition of jazz music.

"It has spectrum, though, if you wish to develop it [there is scope] to do it and it can be quite profound and technical," he said.

But his love for the sound arrived much earlier in life, well before he had grounded himself in its theory.

Discovering early jazz music as a young man, Mr Vella said was like observing magic for the first time.

"It's versatile, it's everything you want it to be, and that's what makes it so unique," he said.

Now, he mourns the droves that have failed to feel the persuasion of a room full of jazz.

"Back in the day, you'd see people going to dances, spending all night enjoying the music," he said.

"No-one does that any more. No-one turns up to hear the local musicians giving their talent.

"That social fabric disappeared, and no-one appreciates it any more."