Karen Devroop

BIO

Karén Devroop is South Africa’s leading saxophonist who has performed with most of South Africa’s leading jazz artists.

He has collaborated with an impressive list of artists from the US, Netherlands, Germany, Venezuela, Canada, Italy, Thailand, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Devroop has several live and studio recordings to his credit. As a soloist, he has performed with his jazz quartet in the US, Europe, Asia and South Africa. His most recent performances include the Kreol Festival (Seychelles), Virginia Arts Festival (USA), North Texas Jazz Festival (USA), Gretna Music Fest (USA), Amersfoort Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Taipei International Music Expo (Taiwan), Samui Latin and Jazz Festival (Thailand) and Unisa Jazz Festival (SA).

As a lead alto saxophonist, Devroop has performed/recorded with the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Carroll Bailey Big Band, Marcus Wolfe Big Band and Unisa Big Band. He has appeared as a side stage act for Cedar Walton, Earth Wind and Fire, Jill Scott, Chicago and Queen Latifah. He recently completed the Battle of the Saxes tour, which included jazz saxophone, classical saxophone, jazz rhythm section and string quartet and the New York Round Midnight (SA) tour, which is a jazz theatre production for nine piece jazz ensemble, video, narration and set.

In 2020, he undertook the Sophiatown Jive tour which includes five saxes, rhythm section, narration, set and video. He is the founder and current director of the Unisa Big Band and Artistic Director of the Unisa Jazz Festival. The Unisa Big Band is the leading big band in South Africa comprised of South Africa’s leading jazz artists.

In addition to his small ensemble and big band work, he has recently performed as soloist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Sanremo Symphony Orchestra (Italy), Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, (South Africa), Orchestra del Teatro Traetta (Italy), Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and Unisa Symphony Orchestra performing jazz and classical works ranging from Astor Piazzolla and Pasquale la Rotella to South African jazz composers such as Abdullah Ibrahim and Miriam Makeba. Devroop’s most recent CD recording “The South African Jazz Songbook (2018)” features him with full orchestra and jazz rhythm section performing iconic South African jazz standards arranged for saxophone, full orchestra and jazz rhythm section. Devroop recently performed at the 2019 Starlight Classics concert alongside artists such as MICASA (South Africa’s leading house band) and RnB sensation Zoe Modiga while accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

In March 2020, Devroop released his new album “Ancestral Home” (DMP Label) and embark on a tour of the USA, Thailand, Japan and Spain towards the end of the year. The tour will promote the works off the new album and he will also appear as jazz soloist with the Denver Symphony Orchestra (USA), Kazak National Symphony Orchestra (Kazakstan) and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra (South Africa). He is one of the headline jazz artists for the KotorArt Festival in Montenegro.

In addition to concerts with orchestras, big bands and jazz ensembles, Devroop has also performed as woodwind specialist on Broadway productions such as Bye Bye Birdie that toured the Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads metro in the SA. Devroop’s debut recording “Reminiscing” (DMP Label 2010) received airplay in over 40 countries and track 4 peaked at no 4 on the jazz charts in Spain. His 2018 album release entitled 'The South African Jazz Songbook' was distributed to over 80 South African Embassies worldwide, featured on the “featured artist” list on South African Airways (all national and international routes) and hailed as the Best Album Release in 2018 by South African Tourism. Devroop is currently on the faculty of the University of South Africa in Pretoria South Africa.