Sathima Bea Benjamin facts for kids

Beatrice "Sathima Bea" Benjamin (born October 17, 1936 – died August 20, 2013) was a talented singer and composer from South Africa. She lived in New York City for almost 45 years, sharing her amazing music with the world.

Early Life and Music

Sathima Bea Benjamin was born Beatrice Bertha Benjamin in Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa. Her father came from the island of St. Helena, and her mother had family from Mauritius and the Philippines.

As a teenager, Benjamin first sang popular songs in talent shows. These shows took place at the local cinema during breaks. By the 1950s, she was singing in nightclubs and at community events. She performed with famous Cape Town pianists like Tony Schilder.

She learned new songs by watching British and American movies. She also wrote down lyrics from songs she heard on the radio. This is how she discovered artists like Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday. These singers helped shape her clear and light singing style.

At 21, she joined a traveling show called Coloured Jazz and Variety. When the show ended, she was stuck in Mozambique. There, she met South African saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi.

In 1959, she returned to Cape Town's lively jazz scene. She met pianist Dollar Brand, who later became Abdullah Ibrahim. They got married in 1965. That same year, she recorded what should have been South Africa's first jazz album. It was called My Songs for You, but it was never released.

Moving to Europe

After the Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa in 1960, Benjamin and Ibrahim moved to Europe. They settled in Zurich, Switzerland, with Ibrahim's band. They performed in Germany and Scandinavia.

They met and sometimes worked with American jazz musicians. These included Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane. But the musician who changed Benjamin's life the most was Duke Ellington.

Meeting Duke Ellington

Benjamin met Duke Ellington in Zurich in 1963. After his concert, she convinced him to listen to her husband's band. They were playing at the Club Africana. Duke agreed, but only if Benjamin sang for him first.

After this meeting, Ellington arranged for them to fly to Paris. They would each record an album for Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records label. Ibrahim's album, Duke Ellington Presents The Dollar Brand Trio, was released. It helped him become famous in Europe and the U.S.

However, Benjamin's recording was not released. It was thought to be lost until 1996. It was then released by Enja Records as A Morning in Paris. The sound engineer had secretly made an extra copy.

Benjamin continued her musical connection with Ellington. In 1965, he invited her to sing with his band in the U.S. She performed at the Newport Jazz Festival. He even asked her to join his band permanently. But Benjamin had just married Ibrahim, so she said no.

Life in South Africa and America

Throughout the 1960s, Benjamin and Ibrahim traveled between Europe and New York City. Ibrahim was working to build his music career. Benjamin spent much of this time managing his career and raising their son, Tsakwe.

The year 1976 was a big year for Benjamin. She and Ibrahim moved back to South Africa. She gave birth to their daughter, Tsidi, who is now the hip-hop artist Jean Grae. Benjamin also recorded African Songbird, an album of her own songs.

Soon after Tsidi's birth, the family moved back to New York City in 1977. They lived in the famous Hotel Chelsea.

Starting Ekapa Records

In 1979, Benjamin started her own record label called Ekapa. She wanted to produce and share her and Ibrahim's music. Between 1979 and 2002, she released eight of her own albums on Ekapa. These included Sathima Sings Ellington and Dedications.

Her album Dedications was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1982. Benjamin worked with many talented musicians on these albums. These included saxophonist Carlos Ward and bassist Buster Williams. She often used American musicians for her U.S. recordings. When in Cape Town, she worked with South African musicians.

Later Career and Awards

In 2000, a fan named Lars Rasmussen published a book about Benjamin's music. It was called Sathima Bea Benjamin: Embracing Jazz. The book included two of her CDs and photographs.

In October 2004, South African president Thabo Mbeki honored her. He gave her the Order of Ikhamanga Silver Award. This was for her "excellent contribution as a jazz artist." It also recognized her help in the fight against apartheid.

In March 2005, an art group gave her a Certificate of Achievement. This was for her work as a performer, musician, and activist for human rights.

Her album SongSpirit was released on October 17, 2006. This was to celebrate her 70th birthday. It included songs from her earlier albums. It also had a duet with Abdullah Ibrahim from 1973 that had never been released before.

In 2007, Benjamin began making her older albums available for download. Cape Town Love was the first. A Morning in Paris was reissued in October 2007 for her 71st birthday.

In December 2008, she performed at the Apollo Theater. She sang "Someone to Watch Over Me".

In 2010, a documentary about her was released. It was called Sathima's Windsong. In 2011, she co-wrote a book called Musical Echoes: South African Women Thinking in Jazz.

She returned to Cape Town in 2011. She continued to work as a singer there. Sathima Bea Benjamin passed away on August 20, 2013, at the age of 76.

Discography

• African Songbird with Dollar Brand (The Sun, 1976)
• Sathima Sings Ellington (Ekapa, 1979)
• Dedications (Ekapa, 1982)
• WindSong with Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Billy Higgins (Ekapa, 1985)
• Memories and Dreams (Ekapa, 1986)
• LoveLight (Ekapa, 1988)
• Southern Touch (Enja, 1989)
• A Morning in Paris (Enja, 1997)
• Musical Echoes (Ekapa, 2002)
• Cape Town Love (Ekapa, 2003)
• Song Spirit (Ekapa, 2006)