In 2021 we brought together ten outstanding and respected musicians on the South African scene to help form the Southern African Arts Alliance (SAAA). They joined together with highly accomplished performing arts professionals whose extensive experience with some of the most important and genre-spanning artists in the creative jazz world of the later 20th century would be ideal for the kind of profoundly adventurous, yet deeply compelling and accessible music that is the hallmark of South African music in the Jazz tradition. The plan from the outset was to lay the foundation for significant U.S. touring in 2024 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of South African independence and the end of the apartheid stigma that bore so much in common with the challenging realities that spawned the greatest American art form of Jazz in the early 20th century.

The rich array of cultural traditions within South Africa have always informed and diversified its own Jazz scene into the globally unique sounds that are increasingly captivating audiences. Indeed, the wide range of musical influences that have always informed Southern African styles can be heard throughout the works of the SAAA members, from the Xhosa-informed lyrical and rhythmic drive of McCoy Mrubata’s music, to Bokani Dyer’s exploration of Tswana musical heritage, to the rich musical and storytelling traditions of the Zulu people as heard in the works of Ndabo Zulu and Linda Sikhakhane, to the all-encompassing vision of Steve Dyer’s weaving together the many styles of the continent into a unique new fusion.

City of Gold Arts, a new non-profit corporation, has been set up by a group of committed individuals who share the vision and mission of the SAAA, and will house all of its U.S. activities. For the 2024 touring initiative, a diverse package of performance offerings for the U.S. market has been put together that will include both performance and community outreach, with an option for 2-3 day residencies culminating in a concert performance. The artists will work in each city with students, educators, audiences and communities.