Benjamin Jephta

Homecoming Benjamin Jephta

Katalyst is proud to reissue this debut recording from one of South Africa's rising stars in the jazz community. In June 1974, amid forced removals under an oppressive government, something extraordinary was happening in Cape Town's jazz scene. This was when Abdullah Ibrahim's Mannenberg began it's journey in contributing towards a nation's emancipation. Fast-forward almost exactly 18 years, to July 1992, when the grip of apartheid began to slacken and Cape Town became home to another jazz prodigy, this time in the form of Mitchell's Plain-born Benjamin Jephta, the winner of the 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz. The 24-year-old has already made a name for himself as one of South Africa's premier jazz double bass and electric bass players, having performed at venues and festivals locally since the age of 15. Watching Benjamin work is something to behold. While getting lost in his mesmeric compositions, one wonders how it's possible for someone so young to reach such depth in his craft.