Carnegie Hall Sets NYO Jazz’s Second Album 'Live in Johannesburg'

Carnegie Hall has announced the June 20, 2025 release of NYO Jazz’s first live album and second full-length album, Live in Johannesburg. Recorded at South Africa’s historic Market Theatre, the album features artistic director and bandleader/trumpeter Sean Jones and vocalist Alicia Olatuja and includes special appearances by South African artists Romy Brauteseth (bass) and Linda Sikhakhane (saxophone). Live in Johannesburg will be released by Platoon and available on all streaming platforms in standard and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio formats. Listen to the first single below.

One of Carnegie Hall’s three critically-acclaimed national youth ensembles, NYO Jazz—comprising 22 outstanding young musicians ages 16–19 from across the United States—showcases the legacy and bright future of American jazz. Created in 2018 by the Hall's Weill Music Institute, NYO Jazz annually brings together some of the nation’s finest teen jazz musicians to train, perform, and tour with world-class jazz masters while also serving as music ambassadors for their country, sharing America’s greatest artform with audiences around the globe.

Live in Johannesburg celebrates the powerful impact of cultural exchange and ambassadorship with this album, as the band plays timeless and innovative American and South African jazz repertoire. It features big band favorites and new arrangements that are hallmarks of its live concerts, showcasing jazz as a living and limitless art form.

The 2024 Carnegie Hall-commissioned work featured on the album is “ISIGQI SUITE,” by South African composer Sibusiso Mash Mashiloane, which he noted “showcases the essence of South African jazz and the profound emotional connection to our collective musical heritage.” Album highlights include the beautiful ballad “A Time for Love” by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster, arranged by Todd Bashore, and featuring Sean Jones; “Rejoice” by Billy Childs, which showcases the band’s astonishing virtuosity; the Afro-beat inspired “Kadara” by Alicia Olatuja and Michael Olatuja, arranged by Etienne Charles, and featuring Alicia Olatuja; “Under the Moon and Over the Sky” by Angela Bofill, arranged by Michael Olatuja, adapted by Jim Pugh, and featuring Alicia Olatuja and Sean Jones; and a new arrangement of Lakecia Benjamin’s “Trane” by Jhoely Garay.

The album was recorded during the band’s four-concert residency at The Market Theatre in Johannesburg which boasts a powerful history, including its role during the anti-apartheid movement, and stands as a cultural icon in South Africa. Kicking off the ensemble’s debut tour of South Africa in summer 2024, Live in Johannesburg showcases the best of what NYO Jazz offers in a live setting, celebrating the power of audience transformation prompted by America’s orchestral format—the big band.

During its residency in Johannesburg, NYO Jazz performed on the John Kani Theatre stage at The Market Theatre. The venue is named after the Tony Award-winning actor, director, and playwright, John Kani, a national treasure in South Africa renowned for his role in the anti-apartheid movement, using theater as a form of resistance. The musicians had the exciting opportunity and honor to meet John Kani, whose soul and work embody the history and art of South Africa and its future. The significance of music and art in Kani’s life, coupled with the honor of NYO Jazz performing at the theatre bearing his name, is particularly poignant as Live in Johannesburg will be released ahead of The Market Theatre’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2026.

Live in Johannesburg joins the legacy of live albums recorded at the storied site, including those by South African jazz trumpeter and composer Hugh Masekela, singer and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba, and vocalists Sibongile Khumalo, Jabu Khanyile, and Busi Mhlongo.

This summer, NYO Jazz embarks on its first-ever Latin American tour after performing at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, July 26, with special guest vocalist Luciana Souza. It follows successful international tours by NYO Jazz including a 2018 inaugural European tour with Dianne Reeves as special guest; the ensemble’s debut tour to Asia in 2019 with Kurt Elling as special guest; a debut US tour in 2022 with Jazzmeia Horn as special guest; a 2023 European tour with Dee Dee Bridgewater as special guest; and a 2024 debut tour to South Africa with Alicia Olatuja as special guest.