The UKZN Centre for Jazz and Popular Music will present The Songbook Sessions on Monday, 25 May, featuring internationally acclaimed saxophonist, composer, and educator Ernest Dawkins. Recognised as one of the world’s leading Jazz saxophonists and an Emmy Award winning composer, Dawkins is celebrated for creating music that reflects the evolving cultural memory of the African American Jazz tradition.

Dawkins has led and founded several influential ensembles, including the New Horizons Ensemble, Chicago Trio, Live the Spirit Big Band, and the Englewood to Soweto Exchange. His long -running Sunday sessions at Norman Bistro in Chicago have become legendary with the Jazz community. The Songbook Sessions offers audiences and musicians an engaging platform for collaboration, learning, and musical exploration.

Ernest Dawkins. Picture supplied

He describes himself as a musical cultural historian whose work combines archival, historical, spiritual, and personal research to capture the essence of people, places, and events through music. The Monday night jam session is supported through funding from Concerts SA, SAMRO, the Festival Enterprise Catalyst, and the National Treasury Jobs Fund.

The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music is located at Level 2, Dennis Shepstone Building, Howard College Campus. Tickets are available through Webtickets or at the door. They are selling at R130 for general public, R100 for pensioners and R70 for students with a valid card. Doors open at 17h00 and the concert starts at 17h30.