A landmark new publication, “Zacks Nkosi: Our Kind of Jazz Real Book”, is set to bring the music of pioneering South African Jazz composer, bandleader and musician Isaac ‘Zacks’ Nkosi to a new generation of musicians, educators, researchers and audiences around the world. The first dedicated Real Book devoted to the compositions of Zacks Nkosi represents a significant milestone in the preservation, documentation and international dissemination of South African Jazz heritage.

It is co-authored by London-born artist of British and South African heritage, multi-award-winning vocal artist, musician and songwriter Deelee Dubé, Nkosi’s granddaughter, and British historian, author and arranger Ned Newitt. The Real Book will provide musicians with access to a substantial body of Nkosi’s repertoire in a practical format designed for performance, study and education. Deelee Dubé is leading the project to preserve, document and expand access to his musical legacy.

The project is rooted in a wider effort to ensure that the work of South African Jazz pioneers is properly documented and remains accessible to future generations. Nkosi was an important figure in the development of South African Jazz, and his musical legacy forms part of a rich cultural history that continues to influences musicians both within South Africa and internationally.

Isaac ‘Zacks’ Nkosi

The publication has been made possible through international collaboration between key rights-holders and music organisations in the UK and South Africa. Particular acknowledgement is due to Michaelé Todd, Head of Sync Rights and Marketing at Gallo Music, and Joanne Edwards, VP International Sync Licensing and Operations at Sony Music Publishing, whose involvement has been instrumental in facilitating the rights and permissions required to bring this publication to fruition.

In a significant breakthrough for the preservation and dissemination of South African musical heritage, Sony Music Publishing has granted a gratis licence covering an initial 3, 000-copy print run of the publication, including both its hard-copy and digital versions. The agreement represents an important step towards ensuring that Nkosi’s compositions can be made available to musicians, educators, researchers and audiences beyond the limited circles in which much of this historic repertoire has previously circulated.

The project also demonstrates the importance of international cooperation in safeguarding culturally significant African musical works, bringing together rights organisations, music specialists and the Nkosi family estate to create a lasting resource for future generations.

The front cover of the Real Book on Isaac ‘Zacks’ Nkosi

For Deelee Dubé, the project is both a personal responsibility and a wider cultural understanding. “This is about ensuring that my grandfather’s music is not simply remembered, but heard, studied, performed and carried forward. Creating a dedicated Real Book gives musicians and educator’s a practical way to engage with his compositions and, importantly, allows this music to enter new musical conversations”, she said.

The publication aims to help move Nkosi’s music beyond archival remembrance and into active performance, teaching and scholarship. By preserving the repertoire in Real Book format, the project seeks to establish a bridge between South Africa’s Jazz history and the international Jazz community, providing musicians with the tools to interpret, arrange and perform Nkosi’s compositions for contemporary audiences.

The back cover of the publication

Zacks Nkosi’s career forms part of the extraordinary history of South African Jazz and its interconnected musical communities. His work and influences sit within a tradition that produced some of the country’s most important musicians and composers, while also contributing to the broader development of African Jazz. Yet much of this repertoire remains under-documented and insufficiently accessible to musicians and scholars outside specialist circles.

The publication is intended not simply as a collection of charts, but as a cultural preservation project: a tangible record of an important body of South African musical work and a means of ensuring that Nkosi’s compositions remain available for active musical engagement. With both hard-copy and digital editions planned, the project is designed to reach musicians and institutions in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe, North America and beyond.

The creation of the Real Book marks a significant moment in the ongoing recognition and preservation of South African Jazz history. It represents a model for how family-led cultural stewardship can work alongside international rights organisations and music-industry specialists to protect historically important repertoire while making it accessible to new generations. As interest in African Jazz history continues to grow internationally, “Zacks Nkosi: Our Kind of Jazz Real Book” provides an opportunity to place the compositions of one of South Africa’s pioneering musical voices firmly within the wider international Jazz repertoire.

Publication and distribution information will be announced in due course.