Attending Standard Bank Joy of Jazz’s Jazz for Young People Concert over the weekend felt like the good old days were eventually back

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

There is a time when jazz festivals and concerts were regular events on the country’s entertainment scene, from Jazz on the Lake, Jazz on the River to Morula Sun Jazz, when jazz lovers were spoilt for choice. This was so especially in the 2000s when live music had sponsorship and promoters were able to secure support for live music, and so did jazz venues. During those years, it felt good to be a jazz fun and one was spoilt for choice. But something happened.

Jazz venues and jazz clubs that used to host such events closed down, one by one, as sponsors pulled out, putting their marketing budgets elsewhere. When new smoking laws were introduced by then Minister of Health Dr Nkosazana Zuma, banning tobacco advertising, that marked the end of tobacco companies’ sponsorship of jazz events among other advertising platforms. This was of course united, but it happened with tragic results for the fragile entertainment sector in the country, especially when it comes to live music venues.

These days live events are far and few between, further complicating the lives of a jazz fans who have to wait for the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz or the Cape town international Jazz Festival to quench their musical thirst. If lucky, one can stumble on a rare live music gig here and there, especially at the few remaining venues, that have remarkably survived the blood bath, and one wonders how they even managed to escape the guillotine. I am thinking of enduring venues such as Niki’s oasis in Newtown and Chiesa Di Palazzo in Melville, Untitled Basement in Braamfontien, and Steve Koena’s Afrikan Freedom Station in Westdene, which from time to time, host live jazz acts.

However, on Saturday, it felt good to be a live music fan once again. Attending the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz’s jazz concert for Young People at the National school of the Arts in Braamfontein, it felt as if the good old days were back again.

Curated by award winning musician Zoe Modiga, Jazz for Young People provided entertainment for both the youth and those no longer entitled to the title.

Marketed as a concert “curated by Young people, for Youth, empowering the next generation of aspiring producers and jazz enthusiasts,’ the music programme was indeed full of youth energy as mainly youth groups entertained jazz lovers, and the weather agreed as well. The sunny day was also warm, even bordering on being hot, which was not a bad thing at all, especially because for the longest of time this winter, we have endured cold weather, really unusually cold weather, necessitating a spell of warm weather, which nature graciously gave to us that day.

As we enjoyed food and drink, we were entertained by a carefully curated programme of young and energetic jazz musicians, whose future as artists of substance is clearly well defined and therefore guaranteed.

BY the time I headed home, which was around 6pm, the popular group IPHUPHO L’ KA BIKo was on stage, and this group has indeed found a rare connection with music audiences, and hence promoters seem to be on their case these days. For example, last year for the first time, the group was featured at the Standard bank Joy of Jazz at the Sandton Convention Centre and the t Cape Town International Jazz festival at the Cape Town Convention centre, heralding their arrival on mainstream live music stages.

This is not surprising as it was bound to happen. They have the talent, the attitude, and their music is unapologetically rebellious and yet serious about digging deep into what this country could be, as it struggles to define itself as a post-Apartheid country where young people are capable of grabbing on opportunities and meaningfully contribute to the development of society, without restrictions. But is that so on the ground?

It is a pity though that I had to leave when the group had just started playing as it would have been great to witness how the young audience would have related to this group’s repertoire and performance.

Be that as it may, we actually had good fun on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

The rest of the line up were a student bands from Morris Issacson Centre for Music, The real DJ Zandy, Willow Crescent Magnet School of Music Band, Kuthlo Tharo Music Band, East Rand School of the Arts, Springs boys High School, Tshwane school of Music, Parktown High School for Girls Marimba Band and Sibikwa Academy Marimba Band.

These young musicians took a good account of themselves so well that it almost felt like the good old days when one was spoilt for choice when it came to live music gigs over the weekend around Gauteng were eventually back. It really felt like the beginning of a new beginning, a rest of the live music scene.