Andile Qongqo’s Diversity in Jazz

This November, acclaimed pianist, composer, and educator Andile Qongqo will headline Diversity in Jazz at COCO C Venue, Loch Logan Waterfront in Bloemfontein. Set for November 1st, the performance marks the first Art in Jazz event to take place in the Free State, an evening devoted to storytelling, improvisation, and the living rhythm of Bloemfontein’s musical landscape.

Qongqo’s journey with the piano began more than three decades ago. “It started with a neighbour who played jazz all the time,” he recalls. “Before I knew it, I was tapping rhythms on the dining table, mimicking what I heard. Then one day in church, I saw a keyboard and thought, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ The player looked so happy, and I wanted to feel that kind of joy.”

That spark would grow into a lifelong relationship with music, one that’s guided by emotion and intuition rather than strict adherence to form. “People call my music jazz because it has improvisation, but I don’t think it fits neatly into the usual definitions,” Qongqo says. “For me, it’s about telling stories. Improvisation lets me tell those stories my own way.”

That philosophy carries into his recordings and performances. His debut solo piano album was recorded in less than two weeks. “I treated it like a live concert,” he explains. “It was just me performing to myself, improvising, flowing, letting each note unfold into the next. I don’t over edit or rehearse improvisation. Once you start cutting and pasting, it stops being real.”

Qongqo’s forthcoming Diversity in Jazz set will follow the same ethos of being raw, expressive, and rooted in experience. The performance will begin with a solo piano introduction before gradually expanding into a full acoustic ensemble. “I want to take the audience on a journey,” he says. “We’ll start quietly, with just piano, then I’ll bring in the double bass, drums, and horns one by one. It’s about building an atmosphere, creating an experience rather than just a concert.”

For Qongqo, the acoustic setup is crucial. “There’s something alive about real instruments breathing in the same space,” he says. “Acoustic piano, double bass, acoustic drums, it’s how jazz was meant to be heard.”

Beyond performance, Qongqo has spent over 20 years as a music educator, something he stumbled into by chance but grew to love deeply. “My lecturer once asked if I could take over some of his students,” he laughs. “I never planned to teach, but two decades later, I’m still doing it. Teaching showed me that the lessons of music – discipline, patience, consistency – apply to life. Even if my students don’t become musicians, those principles stay with them.”

That sense of purpose is reflected in Diversity in Jazz, which seeks to revive Bloemfontein’s live music culture while telling the city’s story through sound. “There’s so much history here,” he says. “So many rumours, so many secrets – people don’t even know why Bloem is called the City of Roses or where certain stories come from. With this show, I want to bring those narratives to life through music.”

It’s also a homecoming of sorts. “It’s been a while since Bloem had a proper jazz show,” he admits. “People here love live music—it doesn’t even have to be jazz. As long as it’s live, they show up. That’s why this concert is special; it’s for them.”

Looking ahead, Qongqo remains committed to one thing: simplicity and sincerity. “I’ve always tried to make the piano more relatable,” he says. “We’ve made it seem too complex, too distant. But at its core, it’s just storytelling. My goal has always been to make people feel something.”

On November 1st, Diversity in Jazz will bring that philosophy to life – a night of stories told through melody, memory, and the unmistakable touch of Andile Qongqo.

Andile Qongqo performs at Diversity in Jazz on Friday, November 1st, 2025, at COCO C Venue (Loch Logan Waterfront), Bloemfontein. The event runs from 6 PM till late.