Indigenous melodies take center stage at the SAJE Conference 2026
The 2026 conference will be presented both in-person and virtually, widening access for participants across South Africa and beyond.
Across three days of research paper presentations, masterclasses, workshops, panel discussions and concerts, the programme moves deliberately between theory and practice, asking how indigenous musical knowledge lives inside South African jazz not only as “influence”, but as structure, language, technique and philosophy.
“As we step into this new term of SAJE, we do so with the rich musical heritage of our communities as our foundation,” said Dr Sibusiso Mashiloane, SAJE President. “This year’s theme places indigenous musical knowledge at the centre, asking not only what we play, but how we credit, teach, transmit and evolve the sound responsibly across classrooms, stages and archives.” he adds.
The conference will open with a concert by Cape Jazz/Goema pioneer Hilton Schilder, a multi-instrumentalist long associated with shaping the sound-world of Cape jazz.
The host venue, UKZN’s CJPM, is known for convening learning, dialogue and live performance, and for building partnerships that strengthen jazz education and public culture.
The conference closes with a live set at The Chairman, with a bill that brings together three powerful voices in South African jazz: Sbonelo Mlita, a bassist, composer and bandleader whose work moves between Afro-jazz and Afrobeat; Lu Dlamini, a Durban-based vocalist, composer and traditional instrumentalist known for storytelling through song and deep KZN lineage; and Buddy Wells, a Cape Town-based saxophonist, composer and arranger who has performed and recorded widely with major South African and international artists. The closing concert echoes the conference’s core questions, how indigenous musical knowledge, language, and memory sit inside jazz practice.
SAJE’s conference series has helped shape jazz education and scholarship in South Africa for decades, convening educators, artists and researchers around major questions of practice, pedagogy, heritage and innovation.
The 16th SAJE Conference is made possible through the support of the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC)and eThekwini Municipality. As host, the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Jazz and Popular Music (CJPM) provides a vital home for jazz education and the city’s live music life, offering space and infrastructure for workshops, rehearsals, performances, and conferences that connect students, professionals, and the wider public.
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