Recordings Connecting South African and American Jazz Traditions to be Reissued

New York, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Ekapa Records) - The long out-of-print recordings of South African vocalist Sathima Bea Benjamin, a key link between the American and South African jazz traditions, will be re-issued digitally throughout the upcoming year, along with never-before-released material.

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Sathima Bea Benjamin is one of South Africa's musical treasures, and has established herself as a master interpreter of American jazz standards, having recorded with legendary figures such as Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and her husband, Abdullah Ibrahim. Her work in jazz and in support of the exiled ANC during apartheid earned her in 2004, the Order of Ikhamanga, South Africa's highest honor.

In Jazztimes, Robin D.G. Kelley described Sathima as "South Africa's greatest jazz singer and one of the best the world has ever known."

On June 19, Sathima digitally released Cape Town Love, an album recorded during a return trip to her native South Africa. The album showcases Sathima's ability to infuse American jazz standards with Cape Town rhythms and scales.

In October 2007, Sathima will celebrate her 71st birthday by digitally re-issuing A Morning in Paris, her long-lost 1963 recording with Duke Ellington.

The remainder of Sathima's catalogue will be released by mid-2008, including the Grammy Award-nominated album Dedications.