Justin Bellairs

Justin Bellairs is a Cape Town-based jazz saxophonist, who has quickly become one of the most frequently-booked jazz musicians.

Justin graduated from the University of Cape Town with distinction in 2011, under the tutelage of the internationally-renowned saxophonist, Mike Rossi.

While at UCT, Justin was selected as an exchange student to study for a year abroad and attended the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway, where he studied saxophone and improvisation with Morten Halle. He was also selected for the prestigious National Youth Jazz Band at the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival held in Grahamstown, which performed at the Joy of Jazz Festival in Johannesburg, and toured Sweden.

Already an experienced performer as a student, Justin’s professional career quickly took off, earning him a reputation as a must-have sax player for performances and ensembles. He has recorded-and-shared the stage with some of South Africa’s most distinguished musicians, including Feya Faku, Nduduzo Makhathini, Kyle Shepherd, Melanie Scholtz, Bokani Dyer, Darryl Andrews, Mike Campbell and Andrew Lilley. Justin has also played on SAMA award winning albums Oscillations (Shane Cooper, 2013), and One Life In The Sun (Marcus Wyatt and the ZAR Jazz Orchestra, 2015).

A highlight of his career was the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2014. Justin toured internationally with drummer Kesivan Naidoo’s band, Kesivan and The Lights, becoming one of the youngest South African musicians to perform at the world-renowned concert hall. Internationally, Justin has also played in Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium.

Locally, Justin is a regular feature at all major jazz festivals, including Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz and the Makhanda National Arts Festival.