Welcome to the present and future of jazz

The National Youth Jazz Festival is set to enthral with an electrifying mix of professional artists and promising young musicians, running adjacent to the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. The programme includes more than 300 participants from across the country, featuring more than 55 professionals, nearly half of whom once performed as students at the festival, Jazz Festival director Alan Webster said.

“The National Youth Jazz Festival, founded in 1992, is a special jazz festival produced as a barometer of South African jazz, where young people are inspired by the jazz they hear and the people they connect with in Makhanda,” he said.

“Aside from the local musicians, we also host guests from Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Austria and the US. We are grateful to the FirstRand Foundation for their assistance in making our festival possible. Thank you also to Pro Helvetia of Switzerland, who have been supporters of this festival for more than 20 years. Welcome, everyone, to the present and future of South African jazz.”

The Jazz Festival is at the Diocesan School for Girls campus from Monday 30 June 30 until Saturday 5 July.

“In the midst of the National Arts Festival, it is a place where artists meet and challenge audiences to expand their expectations of the art form. Audiences know they can trust the programming to be exciting and different, and, even if some performers are not household names, always to be excellent.

“It is music produced largely by younger artists, as befits a festival that celebrates and encourages youth development and the hope it brings for the future,” Webster said.

“Our performance programme this year features 22 out of 55 professional musicians who were selected at some stage in the past three decades for one of the national bands. The performers are drawn from all around the country and represent some of the exciting new directions being taken in South African jazz.

“There is also an additional daily stage dedicated to youth jazz performances, and our National Youth and National School Jazz Bands will show you the phenomenal level of young jazz talent in this country.”

The line-up is masterfully curated and interconnected.

Among the standout performers is trombonist Siya Charles, who takes the stage as the 2025 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz. A jazz fest alumnus who first performed at the festival at the age of 15, Charles now returns fresh from completing her master’s at Juilliard on a FirstRand Foundation scholarship.

Her performances on 4 July at the DSG Hall and 5 July at the Thomas Pringle Hall promise to be a soulful, high-energy celebration of SA and global jazz traditions.

Charles, 34, originally from Gqeberha but now based in New York, said she hoped to reconnect with old friends when in Makhanda. “⁠In townships like Komani, Mdantsane and New Brighton, jazz clubs became community hubs — places for connection, healing, and resistance.

“The spiritual dimension of jazz, especially its ability to convey deep emotion without words, mirrors traditional African spiritual practices where music plays a central role. I hope to add to this legacy by continuing to write songs that are inspired by and pay homage to the beautiful Xhosa culture. It means a lot to perform in the Eastern Cape, as this is the place where my love for jazz began.”

Other acts include music collective Kujenga, the experimental pairing of avant-garde Swiss percussion with the emotive bass playing of Carlo Mombelli in The Gong Project; and the Blue Notes Tribute Orkestra which, led by trumpeter Marcus Wyatt, pays homage to pioneering SA jazz band The Blue Notes.

From Durban comes the Riley G Collective; from Johannesburg, Nhlanhla Mahlangu’s DaniMali, Vimbs Mavimbela and Robin Fassie’s Resurgence. Swedish master saxophonist Fredrik Kronkvist leads a SA quartet and joins Gabi Motuba, while Vuma Levin brings an ensemble of leading European musicians and Lumanyano Mzi brings his ensemble from New York.

Younger musicians will take the spotlight on 5 July with the Youth Jazz Vocal Celebration and performances by the National Schools’ Jazz Band and National Youth Jazz Band, directed by Ramon Alexander and Sisonke Xonti respectively.

Webster concluded: “With performances, jam sessions and mentorship opportunities packed into each day, NYJF 2025 is more than a festival — it’s a living, evolving reflection of the country’s jazz story.”