Seven time Grammy winner Jacob Collier delivered a masterclass ahead of the 23rd Cape Town International Jazz Festival on Thursday afternoon.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
It is rare to be in the presence of greatness.
And when Jacob Collier—introduced on stage as "the Mozart of our generation"—took to the stage at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2026 masterclass at the Cape Town International Convention Centre's Auditorium 1, the hundreds of people gathered knew they would leave deeply touched by his brilliance.
Starting his masterclass with his traditional audience participation, inviting sections of the audience to harmonise, whistle, shush, click, snap their fingers, and tweet like birds, Collier captivated the crowd immediately.
Collier will be performing at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival on Friday.
Jacob Collier had the audience, singing, humming, snapping and clapping along as he demonstrated the basics of musical language.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
It's hard to encapsulate a performer like Collier; after all, he describes himself as "weird", "not one to stay in my lane", with his genre-bending musicality, engaging stage presence and generational musical talent.
That last point may be a bit of a misnomer. Maybe generational to us mere mortals, but he comes from solid musical stock – his mom, Suzie, who accompanied him to the masterclass much to the audience's delight, is an accomplished violinist, acclaimed conductor and renowned music teacher.
Jacob Collier's mom, Suzie, an accomplished violinist and conductor, was warmly received by the crowd.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Suzie Collier with CTIJF chairman, Rayhaan Survé.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Collier took the crowd on a musical journey, highlighting the three fundamentals of music—rhythm, melody, and harmony—each of these so ingrained in our DNA as human beings it becomes the common language through which all can communicate, all can express love, despair, joy, sorrow, anticipation, anxiety... the gamut of human emotion.
The crowd clung to every word, every beat, every harmonic progression, every invented chord, in an intimate session so raw with emotion, many left shaken.
Early in his career, a producer advised him to "pick a lane".
"How? Pick a genre I like and keep doing that forever? For the rest of my career? No," he exclaimed, to smiles and nods from the participants.
Jacob Collier's genre-bending musical aura is impossible to ignore.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
This is Collier's first ever visit to South Africa, his first visit to Cape Town, and critically, on Thursday was the first time he'd appeared on stage in Africa.
And he fit in perfectly; picking up the mic with a confident and vernacular "howzit" with perfect intonation, and later, a "lekker" escaped his lips in a way that felt—and sounded—as natural as if it'd come from a dyed in the wool Saffer.
It is clear Collier loves what he does. He is talented in a way that defies the word's meaning. He is gifted in a way that escapes imagination. And yet, his humility in recognising his skill is sobering.
"Music is like anything in life: you get out what you put in. If you are committed to your craft, committed to learning music, you spend time with it, you give it love, you give it your attention, it rewards you. It gives you love back."
The crowd clung to every word flowing effortlessly from Jacob Collier's mouth.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Collier's whimsy is infectious.
The word 'talent' seems too small to apply to Jacob Collier.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
It's no wonder he got his big break, he says, thanks to "another musical weirdo", the late Quincy Jones, who he credits with paving the way for his first gigs, opening doors to an industry unprepared for his eclecticism.
He also collaborates with scores of the world's most recognisable artists, from Tori Kelly, to Chris Martin, to Stormzy, to John Legend.
The audience was treated to Jacob Collier's incredible vocal range.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
If music is the universal language, then Jacob Collier is its foremost and most prominent scholar.
He hits the Cape Town International Jazz Festival on Friday night, and if you want to be moved in the very core of your human soul, I'd suggest you make sure you find yourself in the presence of his greatness.
Jacob Collier will be performing at the 23rd Cape Town International Jazz Festival, his first performance ever on African soil.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
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