Kaya 959 The Jazz Standard

Nasheet Waits

Loading player...
On January 2024, revolutionary jazz drummer Max Roach would have turned 100 years and in honor of his centennial, a celebration concert has been commissioned by the New Jersey Performing Arts Centre (NJPAC). This will feature the re-imagining of the 1960 'Freedom Now Suite' which Max co-wrote with Oscar Brown as commentary on whether African-Americans are really free and the issues of apartheid in South Africa . On The Jazz Standard we speak to the show's musical director,drummer Nasheet Waits who was given his first international spotlight by the mentorship of Max Roach calling him up to join Roach's percussion group M'Boom.This commemoration will include heavy weights such as pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, vocalist Cassandra Wilson, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, bassist Eric Revis and poets Sonia Sanchez and Saul Williams. Nasheet Waits joins us on The Blueprint to reflect and share what this celebration truly means to him.
14 Jan 2024 English South Africa Music History · Music Commentary

Other recent episodes

Gabi Motuba on The Jazz Standard with Brenda Sisane

An educator, composer, vocalist and the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, Gabi is an artist of intellectual rigor and unwavering devotion. From the mythic inquiries of Tefiti to the meditative release of her latest masterwork, The Sabbath, she moves fluidly between the avant-garde and the intimate.
9 Aug 14 min

Dr. Same Mdluli on The Jazz Standard with Brenda Sisane

Dr Same Mdluli is an acclaimed art historian, curator, and writer, and serves as the Manager and Chief Curator of the Standard Bank Gallery and Standard Bank Art Lab. She holds a PhD in Art History from the University of the Witwatersrand and is widely recognised for her contribution to…
9 Aug 10 min

Sisonke Xonti on The Jazz Standard with Brenda Sisane

A 2020 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, Sisonke Xonti joins us at the Standard Bank Gallery to reflect on growth, family, brotherhood and his upcoming album uKholo set for release on 1 October 2026 via Voom Voom Records.
9 Aug 9 min

Dr. Boitumelo Tlhoaele on The Jazz Standard with Brenda Sisane

For generations of Sowetans, the Jabulani Amphitheatre has been more than a performance venue. Built in 1952, it became a gathering place for music, sport, political debate, worship, mourning and celebration. Jazz musicians and touring international acts shared its stage; political organisations and trade unions used its stands; churches prayed…
23 Aug 35 min

Black Pot Trio on The Jazz Standard with Brenda Sisane

Founded in October 2016 by the late drummer Jan Makhubedu, the Black Pot Trio trio was conceived as a space where African rhythms, jazz improvisation, and the communal spirit of celebration could converge. Their name, inspired by the traditional black cast-iron cauldron found at African gatherings, symbolizes unity and shared…
2 Aug 12 min
All episodes