Jazz musicians in Cape Town during the apartheid era were subjected to a number of political and socio-economically restrictive conditions. These life histories document over twenty Cape Town Jazz musicians who were active during the 1950s - 1970s and who remained in South Africa whilst many others went into exile. Themes include: apartheid’s effects on the 1950s and 1960s music scene; influential local musicians; influence of American jazz; jazz venues; local musical genres and tradition; music reception across social groupings in District Six; musicians who went into exile; priorities of recording labels. These interviews formed the basis for the chapter ‘Jy kan ma New York toe gaan, ek bly in Manenberg: An oral history of jazz in Cape Town from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s’ in the book: Imagining the city: Memories and cultures in Cape Town (2007).