This year’s Follow The Blue Note series, a month-long celebration of South African jazz in the lead up to the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, ups the ante in terms of regional coverage. A series of experiential events have been planned for September in the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, each one tailored to highlight that specific city’s contribution to the canon of South African jazz.

 

The events will take jazz fans down memory lane, focusing on the moments and places that shaped the genre, spotlighting the pioneers who laid its foundation and the contemporary voices moving it forward. The three key events, each tailored to a specific city are as follows. 

 

Between Two Worlds: Bheki Mseleku and the Cosmic South

This installment explores the career and legacy of Bheki Mseleku, the Durban-born pianist, saxophonist, and composer whose music carried the sound of his global travels, even as it remained distinctively influenced by the cultural geography of Durban. 

 

For Mseleku music was a product of spiritual exploration. He fused his sonic approach with Zulu spirituality, Islamic mysticism, African philosophy, and global jazz traditions to create a singular sound that encapsulates the complicated history of the genre. 

 

Through performance interspersed with talk by local artists Nduduzo Makhathini, Linda Sikhakhane and Spha Mdlalose, Between Two Worlds will create an avenue to reflect on interpretations of exile, return, and belonging.

 

Mannenberg: Music, Memory, and the Making of a National Anthem

Mannenberg, Abdullah Ibrahim’s seminal 1974 composition, became more than just a piece of music, capturing the fighting spirit of the Cape Flats. Ibrahim’s family was moved from District Six to Mannenberg township, making this an anthem that marries the political to the personal. With its memorable riff and intoxicating, cyclical groove, it became a rallying cry for South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement. Through archival storytelling, performance excerpts, and intergenerational reflections, this session will delve deep into the legacy and enduring resonance of the song, honouring the man, the music, and the movement.

 

Jazz, Theatre and the Spirit of Sophiatown

Through an immersive jazz-dance experience evoking 1950s Sophiatown, this event will celebrate an era when music was defiance, dance was liberation and Sophiatown was an important centre of black innovation and urban culture. 

 

Blending live jazz, contemporary choreography, and storytelling, the show will honour the likes of Miriam Makeba, Jonas Gwangwa, Hugh Masekela, Dolly Rathebe and others. Theatrical in its presentation, the show will centre costumes, choreography, lighting and set design to reflect the swagger of Sophiatown. 

 

Watch this space 

 

As a champion of the arts, and a sponsor of the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz for over 20 years, we’re proud that – through our sponsorship of the festival and our other investment in jazz programmes such as the Standard Bank Young Artists – we have made substantial contributions to the growth of the jazz in Southern Africa. We’re looking forward to your continued support and partnership towards this mission by documenting the present to leave spirited legacies for the future.