left: PETE BROWN. PHOTO: NASJONALBIBLIOTEKET. Right: KHOI-SAN SCORE, LEFIFI TLADI, 1983. PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN
Southnord x På Sergelstorg
Two jazz artists from different eras both ended up in Sweden after fleeing their countries of birth. One escaped from Nazi-occupied Norway, the other from South Africa's Apartheid. They meet for the first time in this exhibition, titled Drum and Paint, and share a moment in time and space.
The exhibition is produced by Southnord with the generous support of På Sergels torg, a site collaboration project between the City of Stockholm, local property owners, businesses, and civil society. Together they contribute to a vibrant Sergels torg where people thrive and spend time.
Research on Pete Brown was conducted by Yacouba Cisse.
Dates: 13 October to 7 November 2023
Inauguration: 13 October 2023, 16:30-17:30
Venue:
Sergels torg,
111 57 Stockholm, Sweden
Pete Brown (b. 1921, Trondheim - d. 2009, Røros, Norway) was a talented jazz drummer and one of the leading figures of the swing jazz era in Norway during the 1950s and 60s. Brown led several ensembles during his career and also played with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and the Swedish saxophonist, Arne Domnérus.
Pete was raised by his grandparents Emilia and Sam Brown who were travelling circus artists from Liberia. After touring through Germany, Denmark and Sweden with their son Thomas (also part of the family business), they finally settled in Norway. Pete’s parents are said to have perished in an earthquake while touring in South America, leaving the young boy in the care of his paternal grandparents.
Despite being relatively unknown today, Pete’s legacy lives on. This exhibition is a way of honouring this pioneer and reminding us of the importance of looking back on our history, filling the gaps and safeguarding our heritage.
Photo credit: Photograph from AFRIN Archives, published in the book Afrikanere i Norge gjennom 400 år.
Lefifi Tladi (b. 1949, Pretoria, South Africa) is a painter, poet and jazz musician who was part of the jazz band, Malombo Jazz Messengers, later known as Dashiki, from 1969 to the mid 1970’s. Dashiki’s compositions were influenced by the trance-inducing music of the Bapedi people. Music merged with poetry. As a member of the Black Consciousness Movement, Tladi and his band used poetry to advocate for socio-political change in South Africa.
He was forced into exile, ending up in Sweden. Here he studied art at the Gerlesborg School of Fine Art and has lived and worked in Sweden since then. He has participated in several exhibitions both in Sweden and abroad.
In 2021, Tladi was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the South African Literary Awards. Currently, the Javett Art Centre in Pretoria is honouring his career with an exposé lasting five years, from 2023-2027.
Photo credit: Tristan Lindquist