Sounds of Shebeen

Thierry Jammes: trumpet and flugelhorn – Benoit Lavollée: vibraphone – Florian Pellissier: Rhodes & clavinet – Jean-Claude Kebaili: electric bass – David Georgelet: drums

South African jazz is a music born out of struggle.

As early as the 1920s, South African musicians embraced American jazz. First by imitating it, then by integrating it into their traditional music, they invented their own style. In the early 1960s, the apartheid regime tightened its grip, stifling musicians’ creativity and driving some into exile, including trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Masekela and many others, such as Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim), Miriam Makeba and Chris McGregor, became spokespeople for the resistance against institutionalised racism.

Sounds of Shebeen, carried by Cotonete’s rhythm section, pays tribute to Hugh Masekela and his colleagues and tells the story of an oppressed but resilient people in search of freedom.