In this series of lectures tailored for South African Music syllabus Grades 10 - 12 we look at "What is Jazz to you?" The music is spiritual, unlimited and transcendental, built on a solid history of self-expression where finding oneself is the present in every era. Our South African jazz comes from the place of our highest selves and is like the vivid array of colours that are natures' true abundance.

"Jazz is Freedom" likes at the lives of the great South African musicians and how they embodied freedom. Other topics include "Music of the post-apartheid era," and "The traditional instruments of Southern Africa."

Unique presentations built on the history and heritage of South African Jazz and delivered as a coherent synthesis of the journey of the great music makers. This documentation is made up of archive + raw visual, intellectual and audio footage augmented with anecdotes, stories and improvised explanations of the great ideas. The Archival Approach; Mentorship Approach; South African Jazz timeline; Jazz and Protest; Development of urban jazz; Important names late and living; Inclusive approach; SA Jazz music language, and the meeting of the fourth industrial revolution and the fifth dimension of co-creation are some of the themes that link to school syllabus.
South African Jazz fits into the International Examination Board Syllabus and Curriculum Assessment Policy. Including topics such as cross-over music, Kwaito, SA protest music, Afrikaans protest song, SA rock, SA Urban music (instrumentation, improvisation, rhythm, melody and harmony, marabi progression, characteristics, leading artists, and the socio-political context); Ingoma ebusuku styles including mbube and isicathamiya, early jazz including marabi, vocal jive jazz, kwela, jazz and mbaqanga. And, a coherent synthesis on music rights and all seven aspects of the music industry. Jazz and Freedom education lectures are not only an interpretation of an aspect of South Africa's jazz history, but they are also a clear documentation of the journey of the hero.
The three volume book series Story of South African Jazz is told through Five Distinct Rays of South African Jazz, following the distinct SA jazz timeline of 5 rays with access to both ancient and future.
First Ray Golden Era, 1950s:
Musicians Journalists Photographers, Shebeens, migrant labourers and a Pan African movement.
Second Ray Exile & Inxile: 1960s:
After Sharpeville 1960 the jazz scene is split. Exiles to Europe and the US, inxiles keep the fire burning at home.

Third Ray Liberation Era ,1976 – 1986:South African Jazz and the struggle becomes universal and unites with all forms as with Graceland. World Music
Fourth Ray Freedom Generation, 1994 beyond 2000 builds on the past with an eye to the future a new integrated sound.
Fifth Ray Musical Co-Creation, 2020 brings a New South African Jazz and Identity Renaissance, where education, industry and musicology unite to project a 4IR approach into the 5th dimension – co-creation industry.

“Jazz is a unifying language. It brings people together and provides the vocabulary to have a great musical dialogue. SA jazz is a transformative shift to sharing. It is uBuntu in action.” Struan Douglas