Jazz Insights with Vuyo Sotashe and Chris Pattishall

Chris Pattishall has established himself as "an expert at using the jazz tradition as a jumping-off point for experimentation" (JazzTimes), and his debut album Zodiac was described as "a startling achievement" (The New York Times) and “a hell of a debut album” (Stereogum). He is a featured performer on a wide range of recordings, from the GRAMMY-nominated debut album of Jamison Ross to the film scores of Knives Out, Nightmare Alley, and the indie sensation Everything Everywhere All At Once. He co-composed the score to the Emmy-winning documentary Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project with Samora Pinderhughes.

Vuyo Sotashe is a New York-based South African jazz singer with a voice of exceptional quality—reminiscent of past legends yet unmistakably his own. Chris Pattishall complements Vuyo’s rich, expressive vocals with inventive harmonies and bold, genre-blurring improvisation. Together, they create music with hushed vulnerability—a quiet invocation of community in turbulent times. Their programme features music by Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, and more, offering a soulful, contemporary take on timeless sounds.

Since moving to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar, Vuyo Sotashe has performed with celebrated jazz legends including Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jimmy Heath, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Barry Harris, and Winard Harper. He has appeared at Montreux Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Fest, and Joy of Jazz, and Arcevia Jazz Festival. Described by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as "a bright tenor that can easily spring from sonorous depths to the full-bodied top of his impressive range", Vuyo made his off-Broadway debut in the Public Theater's production of Black Light.