Joe Blog

Join us for an unforgettable evening as pianist Yonela Mnana, Swiss saxophonist Benedikt Reising, and the powerful vocal ensemble The Soultee Sisters bring their new collaborative album Echoes of Marabi to life on stage. This Johannesburg leg marks the first stop of their five-city tour - an intimate and immersive celebration of South Africa’s musical lineage seen through a fresh, contemporary lens.

Echoes of Marabi reimagines the pulse and spirit of early South African musical traditions, weaving them into modern jazz forms with remarkable sensitivity. The album’s expansive tracks move between prayer-like meditations, expressive improvisation, and energetic ensemble passages - showcasing a collective sound that is both rooted and forward-looking.

At the heart of this project is Yonela Mnana, a deeply respected figure in South African jazz whose work blends emotional depth with scholarly precision. Known for his wide-ranging collaborations and his ability to reframe the familiar, Mnana leads an ensemble that treats voice, rhythm, and melody as equal storytelling forces.

Joining him is Benedikt Reising whose saxophone and flute work add colour, texture, and playfulness to the music; The Soultee Sisters - Busisiwe Shongwe, Nompulelelo Gugu Khubeka and Happiness Siyoko whose harmonies expand the ensemble into a vibrant, almost orchestral vocal landscape; and drummer extraordinaire, Siphiwe Shiburi.

This is an invitation to listen, reflect, and experience the echoes of our musical past carried into a new horizon.