Home » Jazz Musicians » Siya Charles
Siya Charles
Thembi Dunjana: God Bless iKapa. God Bless Mzantsi.
by Dan Bilawsky
In January of 2024, Ropeadope announced a partnership and co-directed initiative with City of Gold Arts dubbed AfricArise--a new imprint intent on promoting music from the titular continent, with a specific focus on South African artists. Showcasing musicians at once rooted in their heritage and boldly branching out into today's knowns and unknowns, the label quickly established its vision. April saw its inaugural releases, with two singular saxophonist-led albums--Steve Dyer's Enhlizweni: song stories from my heartland (AfricArise, 2024) and McCoy ...
Continue ReadingChad Lefkowitz-Brown and the Global Big Band: Open World
by Jack Bowers
There are times, thanks to the indestructible human spirit, when even the most horrendous scourge--say, a global pandemic that has claimed millions of lives in countries around the world--can lead to the occasional silver lining, a small yet persistent light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Case in point: Open World, a superlative new album by saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown (commonly known as Chad LB) and the Global Big Band, whose name describes exactly what it is: an ensemble ...
Continue Reading
