From vinyl to voice, heritage to future – a programme that invites audiences to listen differently
Prince Albert, Western Cape, 14 April 2026 – At Journey to Jazz 2026, the music doesn’t begin and end on stage. Running alongside the festival’s performance and Greet & Meet programmes from 30 April to 3 May, the Journey to Jazz scheduled talks and masterclasses will open up jazz as a living, evolving conversation – one that connects artists, audiences and ideas in ways that are as meaningful as the music itself.
Anchored at the PACT Centre in Noordeinde, (Prince Albert Community Trust’s operations centre), as well as venues across the town, this year’s series brings together musicians, thinkers, cultural practitioners, festivalgoers and the community to explore jazz as history, practice and shared language.
At its heart of this year’s offering is a simple but powerful idea: that listening is something we learn. Among the standout sessions is DJ Bob’s masterclass, where vinyl becomes both archive and instrument. With over three decades immersed in record culture, DJ Bob invites participants to explore how music is selected, shaped and shared – and how listening itself can become a creative act.
Rather than instruction, the session will open a space for exchange – where participants are encouraged to build their own listening journeys and to imagine new ways of gathering around music.
From roots to resonance
The talk series also places a strong emphasis on tracing the lineage of jazz – from its deep cultural roots to its contemporary expressions.
Highlights include:
- A conversation between Zawadi Yamungu and Italian violinist Anaïs Drago, exploring the dialogue between traditional African string instruments and European string traditions – their construction, playing technique, musical function, and cultural origins.
- A vinyl-based sonic lecture by Ntone Edjabe, founder of the Pan African Space Station, mapping the evolution of jazz across the African continent
- A panel with Paul Hanmer and Lynette Petersen unpacking the Karoo Jazz Project – from grassroots development to the festival stage.
Together, these sessions offer audiences a deeper understanding of how jazz continues to evolve through encounter, exchange and reinterpretation.
Voice, heritage and the South African sound
On Saturday, 2 May, the programme turns its attention to South Africa’s own rich and layered musical traditions.
- Jonathan Rubain and Don Veno Prins explore the influence of Koortjies on Cape Jazz -revealing its spiritual and melodic foundations
- Amy Campbell, Nomfundo Xaluva and Yonela Mnana reflect on vocal traditions that span classical, indigenous and urban forms
- Vusi Mahlasela, in conversation, speaks to music’s enduring role as a force for connection, healing and social change.
Presented by the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT), Journey to Jazz continues to position itself as more than a festival – but as a space where music, learning and lived experience intersect.
Here, the conversation around jazz is not confined to experts or performers. It is opened and shared.
Talk & Masterclass Highlights
1 May
10h00 – 11h00 | Zawadi Yamungu & Anaïs Drago – PACT Centre
11h00 – 12h00 | DJ Bob Masterclass – PACT Centre
11h30 – 12h30 | Karoo Jazz Project Panel (Hanmer & Petersen) – PACT Centre
12h45 – 13h45 | Jazz in Africa (Ntone Edjabe) – The Showroom Theatre
2 May
10h00 – 11h00 | Jonathan Rubain & Don Veno Prins – PACT Centre
11h30 – 12h30 | Vocal Traditions Panel – PACT Centre
12h45 – 13h45 | Vusi Mahlasela in Conversation – The Showroom Theatre
13h00 – 17h00 | DJ Bob Vinyl Sessions – Prince Albert Market
Event Details
Journey to Jazz Festival 2026
Prince Albert, Western Cape
30 April – 3 May 2026
Tickets available via Quicket
#TrueJazzTrueKaroo #JourneytoJazz2026 #J2J #J2J2026 #PrinceAlbert #PACT #JazzWithPurpose #YouthLed #JazzRetreat
Social Media
Facebook: journeytojazzfestival
Instagram: @journeytojazzfestival
TikTok: journey.to.jazz
YouTube: @JOURNEYTOJAZZfestival
For interviews or high-res images:
Kaz Henderson | +27 (0)82 339 1199 | kaz@networxpr.co.za
Editor Notes:
About the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT)
PACT is a dynamic non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering sustainable social change and community development in Prince Albert and surrounding areas. Committed to empowerment through education, skills development, and economic inclusion, PACT collaborates with local and international partners to drive impactful initiatives that uplift disadvantaged communities. From early childhood development and youth mentorship to arts, culture, and entrepreneurship programmes, PACT creates opportunities that inspire hope and transformation.
Some of these projects include The Showroom Theatre that stages regular productions; ONS Botanicals and ONS Table (at Langhuis), as well as Journey to Jazz and a host of other projects and programmes.
To learn more about PACT and how you can support its initiatives, visit www.pactrust.co.za
Leave feedback about this