New venues, final acts and bold programming for 2026 – including Shepherd’s live scores alongside Kentridge short films, performances in Noordeinde and the Swartberg Pass.
Prince Albert, Western Cape, 4 February 2026 – Journey to Jazz, now in its fourth year, has announced its final acts for 2026, alongside the addition of two significant new venues that reflect both the festival’s artistic ambition and its deepening integration with community and place: PACT centre, Bottleblom Street, in Noordeinde and a site-specific performance in the Swartberg Mountain Pass.
The announcements were made at a special preview event in Prince Albert at the end of January, offering invited guests a glimpse of a festival that has evolved from a boutique Karoo gathering into one of South Africa’s most thoughtful, place-responsive jazz festivals.
Guests were also treated to a glimpse of how Paul Hanmer mentorship of the 2026 Karoo Jazz Project (KJP) is shaping up. Collaborating widely in the region, this year’s Festival will see KJP team up with the Laingsberg Brass Band, The George High School Band and the Zwartberg High School Choir.
As a reflection of what is possible – and what audiences can expect – the preview culminated in an unforgettable unplugged performance by Zawadi Yamungu, deep in the heart of the Swartberg Pass. With wind, landscape and silence woven into the music, the performance evoked ancestral memory and renewal – sweeping clean the past and laying a foundation for what is to come.
A Landmark Presentation: William Kentridge Films with Live Score by Kyle Shepherd – Among the most significant artistic highlights of the 2026 programme is a special presentation featuring four short films by William Kentridge, accompanied by a live score performed by pianist and composer Kyle Shepherd.
The performance forms part of an ongoing creative collaboration between Kentridge and Shepherd, extending work developed over several years across film, music and stage. Drawing on jazz improvisation, indigenous musical elements and contemporary compositional techniques, Shepherd’s score engages in real-time dialogue with Kentridge’s iconic charcoal animations – offering audiences an immersive and emotionally layered encounter with image and sound.
Two further important voices have also been added to the line-up. Jonathan Rubain, whose deeply expressive performances draw on jazz, soul and spiritual traditions and appears for the second time at Journey to Jazz, and Donvino Prins, known for his strong grounding in Cape jazz, spiritual jazz and improvisation.
Cross-Border Collaboration: ¡Gracia! – Journey to Jazz 2026 also continues its collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture, presenting ¡Gracia! – a contemporary Mediterranean trio featuring Anaïs Drago (award-winning jazz violinist), Fausto Beccalossi and Luca Falomi.
Rooted in Mediterranean folk traditions yet distinctly modern in expression, ¡Gracia! embodies the festival’s belief in what becomes possible when creative borders soften and cultural exchange is allowed to flow freely. The project debuted in Italy in 2025 and will culminate in a new album in spring 2026.
New Venues: Noordeinde and the Swartberg Pass – The PACT centre in Noordeinde becomes a vital new performance space in 2026, extending the festival’s reach into another part of Prince Albert and reinforcing its commitment to access, inclusion and neighbourhood-based programming. Audiences can expect street-level jazz activations and vinyl culture events, inviting festivalgoers to experience music woven into everyday community life.
Post this past weekend’s performance, and in a powerful nod to heritage and landscape, Journey to Jazz will once again return to the Swartberg Mountain Pass on Saturday, 2 May 2026, for a very special site-specific show – bucket list item!
Vinyl, DJs and the Custodians of Jazz Culture – Recognising the role of vinyl selectors as modern custodians of jazz culture, Journey to Jazz 2026 places renewed emphasis on listening culture, vinyl history and sonic literacy.
Ntone Edjabe – sound stylist, writer and founder of Chimurenga and the Pan African Space Station – will present two performances and participate in the festival’s talk programme, tracing the evolution of jazz in Africa. He is joined by DJ Bob, whose acclaimed DJ Bob’s Jazz Club takes up residency in Noordeinde at the PACT centre in Botterblom Street, coinciding with International Jazz Day on 30 April 2026 – the activation will include vinyl listening sessions, DJ performances, a mini record market and a hands-on workshop introducing the community to jazz DJ culture.
Throughout the festival weekend along Church Street in Prince Albert, there will also be a series of pop-ups where both sound stylists will create spaces for everyone to be ‘moved’ by the music – whether in reflection or to dance.
Full Line-up 2026:
· Amy Campbell
· DJ Bob
· Donvino Prins
· ¡Gracia! (Drago – Falomi – Beccalossi)
· Karoo Jazz Project
· Kyle Shepherd |William Kentridge Films
· Linda Sikhakane and Paras Dlamini
· Nomfundo Xaluva
· Ntone Edjabe – DJ Set
· Vusi Mahlasela
· Paul Hanmer
· Yonela Mnana and The Soultee Sisters
· Zawadi Yamungu
· Jonathan Rubain
Presented by the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT), Journey to Jazz remains first and foremost a music festival – one that must succeed to sustain its broader social impact. Every ticket sold contributes directly to youth training, skills development and opportunity creation across Prince Albert and the surrounding region.
With its 2026 artist line-up now complete, Journey to Jazz continues to distinguish itself through intimacy, integrity and ambition – offering audiences not only exceptional music, but a deeper connection to place, people and purpose.
The Festival’s supporting annual Greet and Meet programme is receiving the finishing touches and will be revealed later in February – keep an eye out for all the activations and cool things to do in Prince Albert over the festival weekend.
Event Details:
Dates – 30 April – 3 May 2026
Where – Prince Albert, Karoo, Western Cape
Ticket prices – free – R250 per person.
Tickets are on sale via Quicket.
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
Journey to Jazz 2026 – Bios
Donvino
Donvino is a Cape Town–born saxophonist whose sound is as expansive as his journey. Raised in Elsies River, he began performing professionally at the age of 15, cutting his teeth in local jazz and gospel bands before evolving into one of South Africa’s most versatile and sought-after horn players.
Equally at home in jazz, gospel, R&B and contemporary African sounds, Donvino’s playing is marked by warmth, precision and an unmistakable melodic sensibility. His career spans collaborations with an extraordinary range of local and international artists, including Jimmy Dludlu, Judith Sephuma, Victor Masondo, PJ Powers, Tony Schilder, Wanda Baloyi, Lloyd Cele, Hemelbesem, Jonathan Butler (as resident saxophonist), Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Tevin Campbell, CeCe Peniston, Kirk Whalum, Gerald Veasley and Bebe Winans.
His festival appearances in South Africa are numerous and legendary. Internationally, he has toured extensively, performing in the USA, UK, Sweden, Dubai, Australia, Nigeria and Kenya, and features on numerous recorded projects.
As a solo artist, Donvino has released the single Worried and the album All The Way (2018), featuring Vicky Sampson. His signature live concept, #SaxyVibes, has become a celebrated showcase of collaboration and crossover, culminating in sold-out large-scale productions, including a major arena performance in 2019.
Beyond performance, Donvino is a mentor, collaborator and cultural contributor whose work reflects an open, holistic approach to music – one that invites connection, movement and deep listening. At Journey to Jazz 2026, audiences can expect a saxophone voice that is both grounded and soaring, intimate and expansive.
Jonathan Rubain
Jonathan Rubain is a South African jazz vocalist and composer known for his rich baritone voice, thoughtful phrasing, and deeply expressive performances. Drawing on jazz, soul, spirituals and African musical traditions, his work is rooted in storytelling and emotional honesty, with a strong sense of place and purpose.
Equally at home in intimate settings and on larger stages, Rubain’s performances invite attentive listening and reflection, often blurring the lines between song, prayer and conversation. His approach to music is grounded in collaboration and community, making him a natural fit for Journey to Jazz’s emphasis on connection, listening and shared experience.
Ntone Edjabe
Sound stylist, and writer, founder of Chimurenga and Pan African Space Station, Ntone Edjabe, will be in dialogue about Jazz in Africa conversation of art and music. Founded by Chimurenga in 2008, Chimurenga, is pan African platform of writing, art and politics. Drawing together a myriad voices from across Africa and the diaspora, Chimurenga takes many forms operating as an innovative platform for free ideas and cultural reflection about Africa Chimurega’s outputs include a journal of culture, art and politics of the same name (Chimurenga Magazine). The title Chimurenga refers to the Shona word for struggle, as well as to a popular music genre in Zimbabwe.
The Pan African Space Station (PASS) is a periodic, pop-up live radio studio; a performance and exhibition space; a research platform and living archive, as well as an ongoing, internet based radio station. Edjabe’s practice as a DJ weds musical erudition and cultural engagement centered on Africa’s place in the world. He will perform two shows at Journey to Jazz and take part in our talk programme on a panel that will trace the evolution of jazz in Africa.
DJ Bob’s Jazz Club
DJ Bob’s Jazz Club is a travelling listening room, dance floor and gathering place – a collective of vinyl-loving DJs bound by a shared devotion to “jazz and derivatives of.” What began as a loose Sunday residency at The Lucky Bean in Melville, Johannesburg, evolved into a movement rooted in deep listening, generous hospitality and the joy of sharing records with unsuspecting audiences.
The Jazz Club was formally launched in 2017 at OppiKoppi Festival, followed by a celebrated appearance at Bushfire Festival in Eswatini in 2018, where it quickly became a cherished festival space – part sanctuary, part dance floor, often featuring live collaborations alongside carefully curated vinyl sets.
Since then, DJ Bob’s Jazz Club has travelled widely, hosting events and residencies across South Africa and beyond – from NIROX Sculpture Park, Soweto, Mamelodi, Pretoria and Cullinan, to Cape Town, Maputo and KwaZulu-Natal. In 2025, the collective launched a monthly residency at NIROX, further cementing its reputation as a space where music, place and people meet with intention.
Musically, the club moves fluidly across South African jazz, Afrobeat, samba, funk, acid jazz, trip-hop, jazz-hop, high-life, marabi, mbaqanga and global spirit anthems – weaving together sounds from Congo to Cuba, Miriam Makeba to John Coltrane, Jazzmatazz to Ninja Tune. As Paul Waxon aptly describes it: “Jazz – and derivatives of.”
Each event also hosts a mini vinyl fair, inviting collectors and dealers to sell or swap pre-loved records, reinforcing the Jazz Club’s commitment to vinyl culture, sharing and exchange.
At the heart of the movement is DJ Bob – a respected DJ, producer, archivist and mentor whose roots trace back to Johannesburg’s legendary 206 Live venue (1993–2001), a cornerstone of the city’s 90s live music scene. His work spans decades of festival curation, touring, artist management and production, including long-standing involvement with OppiKoppi and Bushfire, and extensive touring across Mozambique with some of South Africa’s most influential bands.
Now eight years old, DJ Bob’s Jazz Club draws from a rotating pool of around 15 dedicated vinyl collectors and DJs, while remaining deeply welcoming, unpretentious and community-driven – a space where listening becomes collective, dancing becomes inevitable, and jazz continues to evolve.
¡Gracia!
¡Gracia! is a contemporary Mediterranean trio featuring Anaïs Drago (violin), Fausto Beccalossi (accordion), and Luca Falomi (guitar). Together, they create a poetic and immersive musical dialogue in which melody and improvisation move fluidly between jazz, folk traditions and contemporary composition.
Drawing on instruments deeply rooted in Mediterranean musical heritage, the trio explores a sound world suspended between reality and imagination. Guitar, violin and accordion intertwine in a free yet finely balanced exchange, blending Andalusian and folk influences with modern jazz language and expansive improvisation.
On a poetic level, ¡Gracia! is inspired by the spirit of Federico García Lorca and the early 20th-century avant-garde — a time when music, poetry and visual art existed in radical conversation. Rather than offering a literal tribute, the trio evokes this lineage through resonance and atmosphere, allowing history to inform a distinctly contemporary voice.
Formed in 2025, ¡Gracia! debuted in Genoa and has since appeared at leading European jazz festivals. The trio enters the studio in late 2025 to record their debut album, scheduled for release in spring 2026. Their appearance at Journey to Jazz continues the festival’s commitment to cross-border collaboration and shared creative exchange.
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