Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » NYO Jazz: Live in Johannesburg

NYO Jazz: Live in Johannesburg

By Jack Bowers
June 5, 2025
View read count

In the summer of 2024, trumpeter/music director

Sean Jones

trumpet
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Sean Jones and Carnegie Hall's prodigious NYO (National Youth Orchestra) packed their bags and headed overseas for a tour of South Africa, pausing at one of that country's historic landmarks, the Market Theatre, on July 26-28 to present three days of impressive concert performances that thankfully were taped and preserved on this marvelous two-disc compilation, Live in Johannesburg.

If these twenty-two young musicians represent any sort of barometer, the future of big-band jazz assuredly rests in capable hands. Carnegie Hall, and especially Sean Jones, its enterprising artistic director for jazz, deserve a hearty round of applause for sponsoring the NYO and allowing its young members to undertake productive trips such as this one. The NYO is a beneficiary, but so are its audiences who are fortunate enough to observe the future of mainstream jazz as it unfolds before their eyes.

The scope of music presented by the NYO is wide, covering multiple styles and eras from,

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington,

Mary Lou Williams

piano
1910 - 1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Lou Williams,

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk and

Frank Foster

saxophone
1928 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Foster to film classics ("A Time for Love," "Over the Rainbow") and fresh works by

Billy Childs

piano
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Childs,

Lakecia Benjamin

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Lakecia Benjamin,

Angela Bofill

vocals
1954 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Angela Bofill,

Wycliffe Gordon

trombone
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Wycliffe Gordon, South African composer Sibusisu Mash Mashiloane and guest vocalist Alicia Olatuja. While the centerpiece of Disc 1 is Mashiloane's polyrhythmic "Isigqi Suite," the unquestioned highlight is the orchestra's ten-minute-plus reading of Monk's "Evidence," a quirky yet endearing anthem highlighting no less than eight soloists, including guest tenor saxophonist

Linda Sikhakhane

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Linda Sikhakhane.

That disc opens with Ellington's dynamic theme from the 1955 film The Blackboard Jungle and includes Benjamin's propulsive "Trane" (featuring alto saxophonist

Miriam Goroff-Behel

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Miriam Goroff-Behel), Childs' powerful "Rejoice," and a star turn by music director Jones on

Johnny Mandel

arranger
b.1925

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnny Mandel's "A Time for Love." Olatuja makes her first appearance midway through Disc 2 and sings on the next four numbers, starting with her own compositions, "The Confession" and "Kadara," followed by "Over the Rainbow" and Bonfils' soulful "Under the Moon and Over the Sky." The NYO wraps things up with Gordon's robust "'We're Still Here/He's Alright" (a colorful showcase for Jones and the ensemble) after opening the set with Williams' high-flying "New Musical Express" and Foster's classic "Shiny Stockings," an indispensable component in the

Count Basie

piano
1904 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Count Basie band's playbook from the mid-'50s onward.

The NYO punches above its weight on every number, as do the youthful and talented soloists from several States who must pass muster via rigorous auditions to earn a place in the orchestra's starting lineup. Live in Johannesburg offers a colorful snapshot of NYO at its best, and as such is easily recommended to jazz fans of every age and viewpoint.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Theme from The Asphalt Jungle; Evidence; Isigqi Suite; Trane; A Time for Love; Rejoice; New Musical Express; Shiny Stockings; The Confession; Kadura; Over the Rainbow; Under the Moon and Over the Sky; We��re Still Here.

Personnel

Sean Jones

trumpet

Miriam Goroff-Behel

saxophone, alto

Isaac Hanson

saxophone, alto

Gustavo Cruz

saxophone, tenor

Paloma Ximena

saxophone, tenor

Ethan Kasparian Weisman

saxophone, baritone

Alex Hong

trumpet

Theodore Peebles

trumpet

Lucas Rivero

trumpet

Preston Rupert

trumpet

Skylar Tang

trumpet

Jordan Klein

trombone

Priyanka Magavi

trombone

Bishesh Paudel

trombone

Ava Siu

trombone, bass

Carter Bryan

piano

Jasper Zimmerman

piano

Vincent Maclaughlan

guitar

Miles Oppinger

guitar

Ruby Farmer

bass, acoustic

Additional Instrumentation

Rayah Thomas: bass; Ethan Oliver, Benjamin Schwartz: drums; Alicia Olatuja: vocals. Special guests��Romy Brautseth: bass; Linda Sikhakhane: tenor sax.

Album information

Title: Live in Johannesburg | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Hayeli: Mirrors Unto The Improvising...
< Previous

Butterfly Effect
Next >

Sean Jones Concerts

Sep 21 Sun

Sean Jones & Tim Green Quintet

Keystone Korner Baltimore
Baltimore, MD

Sep 21 Sun

Sean Jones & Tim Green Quintet

Keystone Korner Baltimore
Baltimore, MD

Oct 12 Sun

Jazz Orchestras With Sean Jones, Jazz Trumpet

Fairchild Theatre
East Lansing, MI

Mar 26 Thu

Unlimited Miles: Miles Davis at 100

Wharton Center For Performing Arts
East Lansing, MI

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.