Johannesburg is counting down to the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival (26–28 September). The city’s jazz scene is already alive, on stage, on air, and in conversation.
We were at the Market Theatre earlier this month when Gregory Maqoma staged Jazz, Theatre and the Spirit of Sophiatown. The room pulsed with the sounds of kwela and the defiance of Meadowlands. Dancers moved through the set like patrons in a shebeen, a space of music and resistance. Archival Drum magazine images flashed across the backdrop, reminding us that jazz has always been memory and movement.
Actress Lerato Mvelase held court in the role of narrator, part singer and part historian. She guided us through three chapters: Sophiatown as a cultural hub, the shebeen as sanctuary, and the dispersal of communities after forced removals. Maqoma’s choreography was sharp and conversational, leaning on horns, basslines, and the audience’s own claps to tell the story.
At the same time, the conversation is happening offstage. On Kofifi FM 97.2, Ngwako T. Malakalaka’s The K Jazz Show has been building momentum for Joy of Jazz. The studio feels like an extension of the shebeen, lively, curious, and full of exchange.
We tuned in when Siya Charles, this year’s Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, spoke about carrying South African sound onto global stages. International saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin added her voice, calling Sophiatown “a lesson in survival and expression.” Between music, listener call-ins, and shared memories, Kofifi captures the same spirit Maqoma put on stage.
Both the show and the station make it clear: Sophiatown isn’t just history. It’s a way of thinking about culture now. The kwela riffs of Spokes Mashiane and the protest notes of Meadowlands carry forward as reminders of how music can hold memory and spark imagination.
Maqoma himself put it plainly: “The point isn’t to put Sophiatown in a museum. It’s about asking what it means for us today, how we gather, how we resist, how we imagine.”
Now, all eyes turn to Sandton. The Joy of Jazz lineup brings together global names and South African talent across three nights. For audiences, the anticipation is about more than star power. It’s about tracing the line from Sophiatown to today’s stages, and feeling how jazz continues to move people across generations.
Johannesburg is ready. The city is following the blue note all the way into Joy of Jazz 2025.
