Sathima
Bea Benjamin
Beatrice
Benjamin was born on the 17th
of October 1936 in Johannesburg and died on the 20th
of August 2013 in Cape Town. She was a singer and songwriter in South
Africa.
Beatrice
Benjamin began her career by participating in the road show tour
called Coloured
Jazz and Variety
established by the impresario Arthur Klugman. Returning to Cape Town
in 1959, she met her future husband, the pianist Adolph Brand, then
known under the pseudonym Dollar Brand. In 1965 they got married. The
couple was a membre of the African National
Congress
and militated against the apartheid. With this duet they recorded My
Songs for You,
an album of jazz standards, that will never be sold. The couple
decided to leave the country after the Sharpeville massacre, which
occurred in March 1960, and moved to Europe.
Her
discography included several albums, including Dedication,
released in 1982 and nominated in the Grammy Awards. In 2004, the
singer was awarded the silver medal order of Ikhamanga.
They
met Duke Ellington in Zurich in 1963. Benjamin persuaded him to
attend a concert of the duet. Learning that she was a singer, the
American pianist asked to hear her voice. Convinced of the talent of
Brand and Benjamin, Ellington allowed them to record an album for the
label Reprise
Records.
Duke Ellington Presented the Dollar
Brand Trio,
which was released in 1964, but the record company believed that the
commercial potential of the record was too low. It was not sold
before 1997.
In
1965, the singer accompanied Ellington on stage during his
performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. The same year, Benjamin and
Brand married during a stay in London.
In
1968, they converted to Islam and adopted the name Abdullah Ibrahim
and Sathima. The singer then chose the stage name Sathima Bea
Benjamin. During the 1960s , the couple lived between Europe and New
York. After recording two albums that have not emerged, Benjamin
barely broke into the world of jazz.
Mélanie
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