Bea Benjamin with Dollar Brand – African Songbird

Originally recorded and released in 1976 on Rashid Vally’s As-Shams (‘The Sun’) label, Sathima Bea Benjamin’s 1976 deep vocal jazz masterpiece is another killer reissue of uplifting spiritual songs from the apartheid era in South Africa. The late, great South African jazz vocalist, accompanied by an mixed Capetonians/Americans ensemble led by her husband, famous pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, shines on this LP of original songs with a clear political subtext. Both dramatic & powerful, the album was a beacon of light in the struggle against apartheid, but only a few hundreds copies were released at the time and this essential, breathtaking reissue finally set things right. Get immersed in this crucial piece of jazz history & music of liberation, pride & unity!