Sathima Bea Benjamin

An enchanting, evocative vocalist, Satima Bea Benjamin has made several recordings as a leader since establishing herself in Abdullah Ibrahim's (her husband) band during the '70s. Benjamin has performed and recorded show tunes and standards, traditional South African and African music, and improvised on her originals and other jazz pieces. Benjamin and Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand) met in South Africa at the end of the '50s. After leaving their homeland and emigrating to Europe, they met Duke Ellington in Switzerland in 1962. He sponsored recordings for the two; Benjamin's was unfortunately not released for the first time until 1996. She eventually sang with Ellington's orchestra at Newport (1965) and her first full recorded set as a leader (1979) was an Ellington tribute. Sathima Bea Benjamin, who has led dates for Ekapa, BlackHawk, and Enja, has used such fine musicians as Ricky Ford, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, and Billy Higgins. ~ Ron Wynn & Scott Yanow, All Music Guide