Until recently the major record companies ruled in South Africa and
independent overseas labels were difficult to come by, especially jazz product.
The situation left a small, but staunch following of jazz enthusiasts frustrated
at not being able to obtain new releases.
Internet is an answer, but with the large amount of theft at the Post Offices, it's a
gamble as to whether the parcel arrives or not. Insured postage is expensive, and with
customs and excise added, the price of a CD often becomes exorbitant.
I am personally thrilled that Jassics has filled much of the gap by representing an extensive
catalogue of overseas independent jazz labels.
As a collector, broadcaster, journalist and musician I say thank you Dorothea for looking
after all the jazz fans in South Africa.
Don Albert
Jassics Music, the leading independent distributor of Jazz Classical and World Music in Southern Africa, was founded by Dorothea Photinidis in 1997.
Dorothea Photinidis
The birth of Jassics was a result of the meeting between two passionate Jazz enthusiasts, Dorothea Photinidis and Dutch jazz pianist Jack Van Poll.
Jack and his wife Trudy had come to Cape Town with the idea of retiring. Jack's love of jazz and a large private collection of rare recordings soon found him presenting a popular jazz program on FMR101.3.
The interest shown by listeners wanting to know where they could obtain these cds intrigued him. Many of these recordings were not available locally.
Dorothea, a successful marketing executive, had long known that the music market in South Africa was greatly lacking in colour and variety for jazz lovers.
Recognizing the gap in the market for representation of independent labels, the two friends met. So, it was on a rainy Cape Town afternoon, over a cup of coffee that the concept of Jassics was born.
