Sathima Bea Benjamin

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Sathima Bea Benjamin (born October 17, 1936 in Johannesburg ; † August 20, 2013 in Cape Town ) was a South African jazz singer , composer and songwriter.

Life

Benjamin, who grew up in Cape Town , initially sang in church, at local singing competitions and dance events, and in nightclubs, before touring South Africa in 1957 with the Colored Jazz and Variety Show. She was introduced to the jazz scene in Cape Town by saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi in 1959, where she met her future pianist Dollar Brand . First recordings from the same year with his trio were not published. Due to the worsening political situation, she went into exile in Europe with her partner Brand, his bassist Johnny Gertze and his drummer Makaya Ntshoko . In Zurich she managed to attract Duke Ellington's attention. On his initiative, records were made in Paris in 1963 , on which he, Billy Strayhorn and the Trio von Brand participated; however, they were not released at the time - the tapes were supposedly lost - and did not appear until 1996.

Ellington invited Benjamin to the United States in 1965 to perform with her at the Newport Jazz Festival . However, she subsequently declined a permanent engagement in his band because it would have meant a separation from Brand, whom she married in February 1965. She lived with Brand in New York for the next few years , where, as she was not known from recordings, she only had occasional opportunities to perform. Instead, she looked after the career of her husband, who had converted to Islam , and raised their son, Tsakwe. From then on, Brand called himself Abdullah Ibrahim.

It was not until 1976 that she was able to present her first publication with Ibrahim in South Africa with the African Songbird record . In South Africa she also gave birth to her daughter Tsidi, who is now a rapper under the name Jean Grae . In 1979, back in New York, she founded the record label Ekapa , on which Ibrahim's sound carrier appeared, but also nine records and CDs by her, which proved her singing skills and expressiveness. Her LP Dedications was nominated for a Grammy in 1982 . She openly supported the South African liberation movement. Benjamin worked with recognized jazz musicians from the USA, such as Carlos Ward , Kenny Barron , Larry Willis , Buster Williams , Billy Higgins and Ben Riley . Her album Cape Town Love , which she recorded in her hometown in 1999, was created with South African musicians.

Honors

In October 2004, the South African President Thabo Mbeki awarded her the Silver Ikhamanga Order to honor her contributions to jazz, but also to the fight against apartheid .

Fonts

  • Carol Ann Muller & Sathima Bea Benjamin Musical Echoes. South African Women Thinking in Jazz Duke University Press: Durham (North Carolina), ISBN 978-0-8223-4914-3

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ RIP, Sathima Bea Benjamin
personal data
SURNAME Benjamin, Sathima Bea
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African jazz musician (singer, songwriter, composer)
DATE OF BIRTH October 17, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Johannesburg
DATE OF DEATH August 20, 2013
Place of death Cape Town