Claude Deppa (born 10 May 1958) is a South African

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

born in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, probably best known for his work with the

Brotherhood of Breath The Brotherhood of Breath was an English-South African big band established in the late-1960s by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor, an extension of McGregor's previous band, The Blue Notes. History The Brotherhood of Breath i ...

and

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'' ...

Early life

Claude Deppa was born in

, South Africa, and moved with his family to England in 1974. Having learned drums as a child, he focused on trumpet and the flugahorn when at secondary school in the UK.

Music career

Deppa began his professional career as a member of Dave Holdsworth’s quartet and also played with a band led by Johnny Mbizo Dyani. He was a founding member of the

Jazz Warriors The Jazz Warriors were an English all-black London-based group of jazz musicians, that made its debut in 1986. The idea for the band came from the Abibi Jazz Arts, a London organization that promoted black music and black culture. The Jazz War ...

in London. He joined

Grand Union Orchestra Grand Union Orchestra, also known as The Grand Union, is a multicultural world jazz ensemble based in London. It has been performing, touring and recording large-scale shows for over 30 years and is well known for its educational work. Biography ...

in 1984 and has been a prominent member of the group led by Tony Haynes for over 30 years. Deppa has played and recorded with a wide variety of international jazz talent, including

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

’s big band, Chris McGregor’s

Brotherhood Of Breath The Brotherhood of Breath was an English-South African big band established in the late-1960s by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor, an extension of McGregor's previous band, The Blue Notes. History The Brotherhood of Breath i ...

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

Louis Moholo Louis Tebogo Moholo (born 10 March 1940), is a South African jazz drummer. He has been a member of several notable bands, including The Blue Notes, the Brotherhood of Breath and Assagai. Biography Born in Cape Town, Moholo formed The Blue ...

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’s

, and

Andy Sheppard Andy Sheppard (born 20 January 1957) is a British jazz saxophonist and composer. He has been awarded several prizes at the British Jazz Awards, and has worked with some notable figures in contemporary jazz, including Gil Evans, Carla Bley, ...

’s Big Co-Motion. As bandleader, Deppa has performed with, directed and composed for African Jazz Explosion, Horns Unlimited and Five Funky Fellas. Together with saxophonist Clare Hirst, Deppa performs and composes for the Deppa Hirst Band, who have appeared live at jazz festivals in Marlborough, Ipswich and Swanage. He leads the brass and woodwind section of Kinetica Bloco, a project that celebrates the music of the African diaspora with themed summer schools and performances.

Discography

*''The Song of Many Tongues'' - Grand Union Orchestra (RedGold Records, 1986) *''Out Of Many, One People'' - Jazz Warriors (Antilles, 1987) *''Country Cooking'' - Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath (Venture, 1988) *''Louis Moholo's Viva La Black'' (Ogun, 1988) *''Freedom Calls'' - Grand Union Orchestra (RedGold Records, 1989) *''Welela'' - Miriam Makeba (Polydor, 1989) *''Soft On The Inside'' - Andy Sheppard (Island Records, 1990) *''In Co-Motion'' - Andy Sheppard (Antilles, 1991) *''The Very Big Carla Bley Band'' - Carla Bley (WATT, 1991) *''Rhythm Method'' - Andy Sheppard (Blue Note International, 1993) *''Delivery Suite'' - Andy Sheppard (Blue Note International, 1993) *''Big Band Theory'' - Carla Bley (WATT, 1993) *''The Rhythm of Tides'' - Grand Union Orchestra (RedGold Records, 1997) *''Toi Toi'' (Jika Records, 2003)

References

South African jazz trumpeters 1958 births Living people Musicians from Cape Town South African session musicians 21st-century trumpeters Jazz Warriors members Brotherhood of Breath members {{jazz-trumpeter-stub