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Giving voice to local talent
Live music venues
Cape Town's Rudimentals in action.
© The Rudimentals
Did you know?
Alongside her former husband, jazz maestro Hugh Masekela, and others such as Harry Belafonte, Miriam Makeba, aka Mama Afrika, was one of the founding pioneers of World Music as a global phenomenon.
Giving voice to the eclectic melting-pot of SA's legendary musical treasures is a dedicated array of vibrant South African live music venues.
Kippies in Newtown in Johannesburg set the standard of pre-Apartheid jazz awareness and integration during the 60s, as it drew music aficionados into the heart of the inner city to witness the best of local music.
Where first and third world cultures embrace each other across the bustling market square, the Newtown precinct now hosts a clutch of legendary live music venues in South Africa, the most notorious being the Bassline, which has seen the likes of Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Yvonne Chaka-Chaka, and of course Abdullah Ibrahim, to name but a few maestros.
While you're in the vicinity make a point of visiting Nikki's Jazz Bar across the road, or the raucus Sophiatown nightclub further down, for a true feel of old Jozi nostalgia. However, if it's a unique cultural experience of 'Casablanca goes to the Ghetto' you're after, the House of Nsako up in Brixton is without doubt a must for the adventurous music pilgrim.
If it's Samba-ing in the northern suburbs that grabs you, the Blues Room in swish Sandton is another South African live music venue that always delivers the best of live sounds, from jazz to blues and lively rock ‘n roll.
Blowing a unique trumpet of its own, Cape Town has long been regarded as one of the great international jazz hubs of the world. Each year the Cape Town International Jazz Festival draws crowds from around the world and local live music venues in South Africa fling wide their doors to welcome jazz lovers who clamour at the chance to see world-class performers in the flesh.
One such venue is the atmospheric Manenberg's Jazz Café. Another sought-after Cape Town live music venue is the trendy Kennedy's Piano Lounge in Long Street.
Travel tips & Planning info
How to get here
Most live music venues are city or town based and therefore easily accessible by road.