The Hilton Schilder Trio

The Hilton Schilder Trio performs on Sunday 5th November at 3pm at Christ Church Constantia. Respected veteran Cape Jazz pianist Hilton Schilder, his cousin Eldred (double bass) and Carlo Fabe (drums) will present a concert of their original compositions, influenced by our city’s jazz community.

Hilton Schilder was born in Lotus River, Cape Town and grew up in a musical family (his father was the jazz pianist and band leader Tony Schilder). He began playing early in bands in the Kaapse Klopse. In the 1980s he founded The Genuines with Mac McKenzie, who specialized in the Goema music of the Western Cape province. Goema is a Cape Jazz style, though more inspired by the Coon troops that march annually on Tweede Nuwe Jaar. He led African Dream and Iconoclast (with Victor Ntoni and Vusi Khumalo). Robbie Jansen invited him to join the band Sons of Table Mountain. He also led his own groups, with whom he also performed at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and toured with Johannes Enders. His first album, No Turning Back (2003), was nominated in the “Best Contemporary Jazz Album” category at the South African Music Awards (SAMA). He co-founded the duo RockArt with Alex van Heerden, which moved in the direction of acoustic and electronic minimal jazz. He has worked with Mac McKenzie, Namakwa, The District Six Band, and The Goema Captains of Cape Town. In 2008 he was Artist in Residence at the Bird’s Eye Jazz Club in Basel.

Watch his Grassy Park Requiem of 2010
Hilton Schilder Group live in Cape Town – YouTube

A blog including an extensive interview
Hilton Schilder: prince of music, steeped in jazz royalty | MUSIC LEGENDS OF CAPE TOWN (warrenludskimusicscene.com)

Tickets to the concert are R150 (seating unreserved) and can be bought online from Quicket using the link below or by calling Anne on 082 218 0100.

Book tickets for The Hilton Schilder Trio (quicket.co.za)

Born on 11 July 1959 at his family home on Princess Street in Harfield Village, bassist Eldred Schilder grew up amongst several families of musicians, all who have carried the legendary Schilder name. He learned easily from this family DNA to play a Cape form of jazz from the traditional goema (klopse) beat heard all around him.

As the apartheid government dislocated homes, Eldred’s family was thrown out of Harfield Village and into a Cape Flats community of Newfields where he continued to grow his musical ear. His musician father, pianist Richard Schilder, performed in various popular bands that emerged in the Cape Flats of Cape Town. Richard –  also a goldsmith – taught young Eldred songs on the piano, and allowed other senior Schilder family members to groom him, in particular Uncle Philip who also played bass and other instruments. Jazz pianists Tony Schilder and Chris Schilder left a profound mark on Eldred’s development.

Eldred launched his own CD – entitled ‘Tenziah’ (combining the names of daughters Tenielle and Keziah) – early this year. Eldred has recorded extensively with the late guitarist Errol Dyers, his cousin multi-instrumentalist Hilton Schilder, and with other popular bands around Cape Town, including Manouche.

Drummer Carlo Fabe has appeared in a variety of studio and live settings, performing and/or recording with artists such as The Cape Jazz Ensemble, Thandi Klaasen, Ezra Ngcukana, Sathima Sea Benjamin, Sylvia Mdunyelwa, Errol Dyers, Robbie Jansen, Tete Mbambisa’s Big Sound, George Werner, Peter Ndlala, Hilton Schilder, Steve Newman, Ernerstine Deane, Derrick Schippers, Mark Goliath, Erika Lundi and the Solms-Delta Music Trust Ensemble’s to name just a few. To date, he recently recorded the Hilton Schilder Goema Club Album – 2021, toured the USA with the hit musical,“Makeba”, (which paid tribute to the late great Miriam Makeba), performed at the 2016 Cape Town International Jazz Festival with Tete Mbambisa’s Big Sound, 2013 Cape Town International Jazz Festival with Errol Dyers and the Cape Jazz Ensemble, 2010 Grahamstown National Arts Festival with Robbie Jansen and the Cape Jazz Spectacular, Blue Note Jazz Festival in Paris in 2009 with Hilton Schilder, Cape Town International Jazz Festival in 2007 with the late Ezra Ngcukana. During January 2012, He recorded the Bamboesbos CD (Cape folk style) with the Delta Trust Ensemble, and in December 2007, Carlo was part of the live recording, “Summer in Cape Town”, which comprised many of Cape Town’s top musicians.

In the field of education, Carlo is very active. At present, he is teaching at the Institute for Music and Indigenous Arts Development (IMAD) and his own Private Drum Practice. Previous music institutions he taught at include; Solms-Delta’s Music van de Caab heritage program, Liron Music Academy, Oakfields College, Turfjamp, Hout Bay Music Academy, and the Jazz Workshop. As time permits, he gives clinics, seminars, and workshops at various institutions and offers private master classes.

Carlo is currently working on his solo recording and an instructional DVD and book focusing on traditional Cape folk rhythms as applied to the drum-set. Carlo continues to perform, teach, and record nationally and internationally. He is currently performing with his own band “CF Groove Express”, featuring many of Cape Town’s legends as well as up-and-coming fresh talent from the Cape Flats’ region, the Steve Newman Trio, The Hilton Schilder Goema Club, Peter Ndlala’s Unit5 and sessions in between.