PRESS RELEASE
Tickets are live on Ticketmaster now for The Arches stage – see Salif Keita, Mandisi Dyantyis, Billy Monama’s Guitar Convergence, The Kesivan amaBig Band Experience and a selection of artists at the Jazz Village
Franschhoek, South Africa, 28 January 2026 – The Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek (MJFSA) presented by Nedbank, today announced the first phase of artists for its inaugural African edition, marking a defining cultural moment as one of the world’s most respected music festivals makes its debut on African soil.
This opening announcement reflects Montreux’s enduring commitment to artistic depth, global exchange and African excellence, presenting a programme that bridges generations, geographies and musical languages. From legendary voices to bold contemporary composers and unexpected collaborations, the first artists set the tone for a festival shaped by intention rather than scale.
Mark Goedvolk, founder of Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek. “This first announcement reflects the spirit of Montreux at its best – where 60 years of legacy meets Africa’s artistic flair on the continent for the first time, and where African voices are central to the global musical conversation.”
The Arches | Main Stage
Headlining the first phase on The Arches, the festival’s main outdoor stage, is the legendary Salif Keita. Widely regarded as The Golden Voice of Africa, Keita is one of the most influential artists in African music history, with a career spanning more than five decades. His appearance at MJFSA is both rare and resonant – a master artist whose presence embodies the festival’s belief in musical legacy, cultural truth and artistic courage.
Also taking centre stage is Mandisi Dyantyis, one of South Africa’s most compelling contemporary composers and bandleaders. Known for his deeply expressive trumpet work and genre-fluid compositions, Dyantyis represents the evolving language of African jazz today – sophisticated, emotive and unafraid to draw from classical, folk and modern influences. His performance underscores Montreux’s commitment to artists who are actively shaping the future of global music from the African continent.
Adding to the spirit of collaboration is Billy Monama’s Guitar Convergence, brings together acclaimed musicians Moss Mogale and Vusi Mahlasela. This rare convergence of guitar voices promises a powerful and unexpected musical dialogue – rooted in African storytelling, social memory and shared virtuosity. True to the Montreux spirit, this collaboration exists specifically for the festival, offering audiences a moment that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
Setting the Tone: The Kesivan amaBig Band Experience
A bold collaborative statement led by acclaimed South African drummer and composer Kesivan Naidoo, based between Switzerland and South Africa, brings together a 26-piece ensemble of South African and European musicians, with strong Swiss representation.
The project reflects the deep and longstanding musical exchange between South Africa and Switzerland – a relationship central to the Montreux story. Reimagining Amapiano, traditionally electronic and groove-driven, through the language of a large acoustic jazz ensemble, the performance establishes a rhythmic and collaborative foundation for the festival.
Featuring lead vocalists Boohle, Stogie T and BONJ, the ensemble is anchored by Boohle’s unmistakable voice – one of the most emotionally resonant in contemporary Amapiano. Her presence provides a vital connective thread between the genre’s electronic origins and its orchestral reinterpretation, grounding the collaboration in authenticity, intimacy and feeling.
These projects function as a musical statement of intent, signalling Montreux’s confidence in contemporary African innovation and the visionary power of cross-continental collaboration.
The Jazz Village | NG Church Complex
The Jazz Village programme offers an intimate and exploratory counterpoint to The Arches – a space dedicated to deep listening, conversation and jazz in its many evolving forms. Designed for audiences who value proximity, nuance and discovery, Jazz Village foregrounds musicianship, lineage and experimentation.
Among the first confirmed artists is a rare and meaningful collaboration between Madala Kunene and Sibusile Xaba. This meeting of generations fuses Kunene’s masterful maskandi guitar tradition and Xaba’s exploratory, genre-fluid approach, creating a dialogue that bridges past and present, heritage and innovation.
Also appearing in the Jazz Village is ensemble Kwanti Leeh!, comprising exceptional artists Herbie Tsoaeli, Andile Yenana, Ayanda Sikade and Sisonke Xonti. Together, they represent a powerful cross-section of South Africa’s contemporary jazz excellence – musicians celebrated for their sensitivity, depth and collective improvisational strength.
With performances ticketed per show, Jazz Village invites audiences into an environment rooted in discovery, musical intimacy and shared experience set within the grounds of a vibrant, social and flexible space.
“Jazz Village is where we allow the music to breathe,” said Lindsay Rhoda, Artistic Curator: Music & Programming for MJFSA. “It’s a space for lineage, collaboration and experimentation – where artists can take risks and audiences can truly listen. These are conversations across generations and genres, and that dialogue is at the heart of what Montreux stands for.”
Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek’s African journey is now on its way. Further artist announcements will follow weekly, leading up to the full programme reveal in early March. As a taste of things to come, this first unveiling sets the scene for a distinctive edition of Montreux, grounded in African expression and global exchange.
Taking place from 27–29 March 2026, [http://www,mjfsa.com/]Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek presented by Nedbank brings a globally revered cultural institution to Africa for the first time – not as a replica of its Swiss counterpart, but as a thoughtfully curated edition shaped by context, collaboration and place. Designed as an intimate, hospitality-led experience, the festival offers audiences the rare opportunity to engage deeply with music, artists and environment.
Performances will be staged on The Arches (from lunchtime to midnight) and at Jazz Village (from 3pm to midnight) on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the festival embraces the Sunday Slowdown with several music offerings in the village throughout the Montreux Mile. Stay tuned for further details.
Tickets for The Arches will go on sale via Here is the weblink: Ticketmaster from 09H00 on 28th January 2026.
Ticket sales for Jazz Village will open once the full line-up for this stage is complete.
Montreux Jazz festival Franschhoek presented by Nedbank – First Artist Biographies
(alphabetical order)
Billy Monama’s Guitar Convergence ft Moss Mogale & Vusi Mahlasela (SA)
Guitar Convergence features a lineup of iconic masters. This gathering of guitar virtuosos is a collaborative project led by guitarist, composer and author Billy Monama. Together they share stories of the guitar in South African music, featuring styles such as kwela, marabi, mbaqanga, mbube, Mgqashiyo and Malombo.
Billy is part of a new generation of musicians who aim to take the music of the African continent to greater heights, and this historic meeting of strings and styles is pure genius. Moss Mogale was inspired by the late Frans Mothoka Maake and Geoff Mphakathi; while the music of legendary singer-songwriter and activist Vusi Mahlasela, aka “The Voice,” echoed South Africa’s transition to freedom. Billy dubs the trio’s union as “a triple threat of guitar convergence”.
Discography:
Billy Monama: Rebounce (2017), The Y Factor Project (2025)
Moss Mogale: Forget Me Not (2000)
Vusi Mahlasela: Wisdom of Forgiveness (1994) , Miyela Afrika (2000),
Kesivan Naidoo – Biography 2026
Kesivan Naidoo is a multi-award-winning South African drummer, composer and bandleader whose work bridges jazz, contemporary African music and ambitious ensemble projects. Based between Switzerland and South Africa, he is widely regarded as one of his generation’s most compelling creative voices on the international jazz stage.
The only drummer to have received the Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year Award (2009), Naidoo has also been recognised with the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship, a SAFTA for best feature film composition and multiple SAMA nominations. His career highlights include a landmark sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall with Kesivan & The Lights, as well as sold-out performances at leading venues in South Africa, including the Baxter Theatre.
Beyond performance, Naidoo is the founder of Freedom in Sound, a non-profit organisation dedicated to cultural exchange, artistic development and building meaningful musical connections across borders. Through both his creative work and his NPO, he continues to champion African expression while expanding the possibilities of contemporary jazz.
The amaBig Band line-up: Kesivan Naidoo (band leader, composer/arranger, drums) Tlale Makane (percussion), Shaun Johannes (electric bass), Joan Codina (Spain/Switzerland – Double bass), Bokani Dyer (piano), Brathew van Schalkwyk (keyboards), Keenan Ahrends (guitar), Fabio Gouvea (Brazil/Switzerland – guitar), Jon Savage (guitar), Danél Dippenaar (alto sax), Mthunzi Mvubu (alto sax), Charley Rose (France/Switzerland – tenor sax), Jess van der Merwe (tenor sax), Charlotte Lang (Switzerland – baritone), Lukas Wyss (Switzerland – trombone), Hope Hadebe (trombone), Tamzyn Freeks (trombone), Karen Hess (trombone), Lukas Thöni (Switzerland – trumpet), Darren English (trumpet), Lee Thomson (trumpet), Kathleen Racionzer (trumpet), Boohle (vocals), Stogie T (vocals) and BONJ (vocals).
Tracks/Videos:
Tribute to Snoop Dog – The Shizzle:
Kesivan Naidoo Big Band Experience: Full Concert Live at the JazzWerkStatt, Bern 2023
Kwanti Leeh! (SA)
Kwanti Leeh! is a jazz tribute ensemble dedicated to celebrating the pioneers and spirit of South African jazz. The band brings together four distinctive voices on the contemporary scene: Herbie Tsoaeli (contra bass), Ayanda Sikade (drums), Sisonke Xonti (tenor saxophone), and Andile Yenana (piano).
Rooted in the legacy of artists such as Bheki Mseleku, Abdullah Ibrahim and Winston Mankunku Ngozi, Kwanti Leeh! reimagines this music with deep respect, creative freedom, and a modern sensibility. Their performances honour history while keeping the music alive – their playlist is forward-looking and deeply connected to its cultural origins.
Between them, this crew of jazz heavyweights have amassed a range of individual awards – this includes Herbie Tsoaeli’s SAMA for Best Jazz Album; Sisonke Xonti’s 2020 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz; and Andile Yenana’s 2005 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz title.
Discography:
Herbie Tsoaeli – African Time (2012), African Time Quartet in Concert (2014), At This Point In Time: Voices In Volumes (2021), Ndiyakudinga (2023)
Ayanda Sikade – Movements (2018), Umakhulu (2021
Sisonke Xonti – uGaba the Migration (2020), Iyonde (2025)
Andile Yenana – We Used To Dance (2002),Who’s Got The Map? (2005), One Night At The Market Theatre (2021)
Madala Kunene & Sibusile Xaba (SA):
An intergenerational duo of musical shamans, Madala Kunene and Sibusile Xaba build on the past whilst creating a deeply rooted statement about present conditions and future travels.
Known as the ‘King of the Zulu Guitar’, Kunene is revered as the greatest living master of the Zulu guitar tradition. He weaves a tapestry of sound that captures Africa’s heart and the soul of the blues. His awards include an honorary Doctor of Music degree for his work in developing indigenous music; and the Gold Order of Ikhamanga for his contribution to the arts.
Charismatic guitar savant Sibusile Xaba reframes maskandi and the avant-garde into his own humanist manifesto. His 2017 recording, Open Letter To Adoniah/Unlearning, has garnered acclaim for his voice and guitar stylings, which bring together multiple South African guitar lineages in an original, spiritualised fusion.
Tracks:
Izimpisi
Mqhele
Wemfana
Izimfijoli
Sesikhona
Uhebe
Mandisi Dyantyis (SA)
Mandisi Dyantyis is a trumpeter and composer who is known for his evocative fusion of jazz, gospel, and traditional African music. His deep, resonant voice can convey powerful emotions through his compositions. His songs often explore themes of love, struggle, heritage, and spirituality.
A multi award nominee and award-winning recipient, he has sold out many major stages across South Africa. Mandisi’s 2019 Somandla album was nominated for Best Jazz Artist at the 2019 Mzantsi Jazz Awards and Best Jazz Album at the 2019 SAMAs. His second album, Cwaka, won the 2022 SAMA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.
In October 2025, Mandisi released, Intlambululo: Ukuhlambulula, which translates to the act of purification and reflection. The response to this body of work has exceeded all expectations.
Discography:
Somandla (2019)
Cwaka (2022)
Intlambululo: Ukuhlambulula (2025)
Salif Keita (Mali)
Widely known as The Golden Voice of Africa, Salif Keita is one of the most influential figures in African music history. A pioneer of Afropop, his five-decade career spans more than 20 albums, five Grammy nominations and globally recognised songs such as Yamore and Madan. Renowned for his unmistakable voice and fearless approach to collaboration, Keita has consistently bridged traditional Mandé music with jazz, funk, soul and global contemporary sounds.
From landmark albums such as Soro, Amen and Moffou to collaborations with artists including Carlos Santana, Joe Zawinul, Grace Jones and Esperanza Spalding, Keita’s work has shaped generations of musicians worldwide. He is a master artist whose presence embodies musical legacy, cultural depth and artistic courage.
