Dawjee Trio
Bio
Dawjee Trio sees tenor saxophonist Muhammad Dawjee, co-founder of critically acclaimed South African Indo-Jazz trio Kinsmen, continue his pursuit for meaning through sound and improvised performance – this time in a classic jazz-trio setup. Joined by Nhlanhla Radebe on upright bass and Nicholas Bjorkman on drums, the collective transposes the sound of the saxophone led trio, historically established by the likes of Sonny Rollins in the American tradition – onto and through the rich South African sonic landscape.
Their repertoire journeys through the history of the tradition and places a particular emphasis on a reading of the South African songbook – drawing particularly upon the work of Johnny Dyani, Winston “Mankunku” Ngozi & Hotep Idris Galeta. This pursuit for meaning, through spacious performance, and the egalitarian energy of 3, is further complemented and complicated by several of Dawjee’s original compositions, which he sees as vessels for the spirit.