It was a privilege to attend the fabulous concert by NYO Jazz in Cape Town at Artscape on August 3, 2024. This was the wrap up concert of NYO Jazz 2024 South African tour. The concert was fabulous with a rapturous singing and dancing ovation. NYO Jazz is Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra. The ensemble was established by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in 2018 so it is a fairly new addition to youth jazz.  The concept is fantastic. Every summer in the USA, teen jazz players (16-19) undergo a rigorous audition process. After extensive rehearsals, they gather under the baton of artistic director, Sean Jones and tour internationally. They dedicate their summer to audiences around the world, sharing the love of jazz. How amazing is that.

NYO Jazz was created to showcase “outstanding young American jazz musicians” [https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Articles/2023/07/06/Five-Things-to-Know-About-NYO-Jazz] and as evidenced from what we saw, they are superlative – and confident in a good way. Sean Jones is a renowned trumpeter in his own right and his solos had us gasping, as did his expressions of joy of touring South Africa. Jones is a dynamic performer – with ample energy. Note his jump in the featured image on this page, Jone. Guest vocalist Alicia Olatuja has a sublime voice. The mezzo soprano is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. In addition her own songs, American Big Band and other numbers, she captivated us with a magical rendition of Over The Rainbow.

The programme included ISIGQI SUITE, a stirring new piece by South African saxophonist  and composer Linda Sikhakhane. Bravo to Carnegie Hall and its partners for bringing NYO Jazz to South Africa. On a cold night in Cape Town winter, the house was sold out. The standing ovation  brought on two encores and was like a rock concert as we screamed for more and we were rewarded by NYO Jazz. I loved the vibe of their wardrobe – red flared pants, blank tops and converse sneakers. See TheCapeRobyn videos on TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMrqMcDHK/ and https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMrqrXfoY/



✳ NYO Jazz, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Photo by Todd Rosenberg. Supplied.

Related coverage on TheCapeRobyn: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/live-music-nyo-jazz-carnegie-halls-national-youth-jazz-orchestra-south-africa-tour-2024/\