Both are not only now set to perform at New York’s world-famous Blue Note Jazz Club during the NYC Winter JazzFest in January 2019, but are also set for lucrative recording deals with Universal Music Group (UMG).

“Music creates connections and brings people together, as does Emirates. Both music and travel cross borders and unite individuals all over the world, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or culture. Siya and Gally‘s talents are exceptional, and we are thrilled to be taking both of them to New York, for a performance of a lifetime,” said Fouad Caunhye, Regional Manager, Emirates Southern Africa

Emirates Pursuit of Jazz, a collaboration between Emirates Airlines, UMG and Kaya FM, was announced back in August. Thatch Music began the national wide talent hunt to discover South Africa’s most talented jazz musician. Judges Brenda Sisane – broadcaster and social entrepreneur; Sipho Dlamini – Managing Director (MD) of UMG; and Nduduzo Makhathini – Winner of a SA Music Award (Best Jazz Album) and Standard Bank’s Young Artist Award (2015) further shortlisted the talent as the competition progressed.

“While we as a country are no strangers to music competitions, Emirates Pursuit of Jazz presented us with a rare opportunity to find talented musicians of a legacy genre that has shaped the music scene for over a century. We believe Gally and Siya are the best people to represent South Africa’s rich jazz scene both locally, and abroad and we look forward to working with the pair on the single.” added Lebo Kgothadi, Brands and Partnerships Manager, UMG

A fantastic experience which we are grateful to have been a part of with all our thanks going to Emirates Airlines. We can’t wait to see what both Gally and Siya do, one thing is for sure they are both fantastic musicians. We wish them all the best going forward.

• Casper Mofokeng – Saxophonist (Johannesburg)
• Viwo Kulati – Singer (Johannesburg)
• Siya Charles – Trombone (Johannesburg)
• Gally Ngoveni – Bassist (Pretoria)
• Nkosazana Mashinini – Singer (Johannesburg)

The big prize on offer makes us wish we had half that talent and were also in the running, sadly this isn’t the case. The prize comprises of a recording deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) and an opportunity to perform at the Blue Note, one of the most iconic jazz clubs in New York City, during the NYC Winter Jazzfest in January 2019. Voting is still open until 3 December so don’t forget to get in on the act. But wait, there’s more (always wanted to say that) – we are giving one lucky reader (could easily be you) the opportunity to join us with a partner of their choosing. To stand a chance, simply answer the below question:

Where is the winner of Emirates Pursuit of Jazz set to perform in January?

1. Paris
2. Amsterdam
3. New York City

All you need to do is pop us an email at thabiso@twlfd.com with your answer and who knows you could be the lucky winner which we’ll announce on Monday (3 December). Enter, you know you want to and hope to see you there!

After 14 weeks and over 500 entries, the top 5 participants performed live in front of the judges that comprised of Brenda Sisane (broadcaster and social entrepreneur), Sipho Dlamini (Chief Executive Officer of SAMRO) and Nduduzo Makhathini (Winner of the SA Music Award for Best Jazz Album and Standard Bank’s Young Artist Award in 2015).

The top 5 finalists include a combination of two songstresses and three instrumentalists from Johannesburg and Pretoria, they are:

• Casper Mofokeng – Saxophonist (Johannesburg)
• Viwo Kulati – Singer (Johannesburg)
• Siya Charles – Trombone (Johannesburg)
• Gally Ngoveni – Bassist (Pretoria)
• Nkosazana Mashinini – Singer (Johannesburg)

The top 5 finalist will battle it out for the big prize – a recording deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) and an opportunity to perform at the Blue Note, one of the most iconic jazz clubs in New York City, during the NYC Winter Jazzfest in January 2019.

The finale will be hosted on 04 December at Katzy’s Rosebank with voting being also open. The cool thing is when you vote you stand a chance to win a trip to New York. Voting as well as the fan competition closes on 3 December 2018, so be sure not to miss out! We look forward to the finale, should be mad fun.