A Musician based in Pretoria. Check out his various projects releases here! 


Deon Bakkes began playing the guitar at fifteen. Beginning with a great love for the hard rock and metal bands of the seventies and eighties, he soon took to the electric guitar teaching himself rhythm and lead from ear and available tablature. As his technique evolved he found himself attracted to the raw energy of live performance and pushed himself into a number of small bands playing guitar and bass.
 
His playing style began to progress further and was soon firmly rooted in the blues. This prompted the formation of the SwampHound Tritet which played an energetic style of heavy rock ’n roll with a strong nod to his blues influences. Two years later, the drummer decided to pursue his studies and quit the group. However, the two remaining members continued to perform as a duo with Liam Borgstrom introducing to Mr. Bakkes the fantastic and mesmerizing playing of the great Django Reinhardt – the start of a newly discovered passion in jazz brewing steadily in Mr. Bakkes. 

On an inspirational trip to Cape Town in early 2014, Deon Bakkes and Liam Borgstrom formed a jazz duo showcasing interesting arrangements of swing standards and a handful of unique original songs. This project provided the platform for Mr. Bakkes to focus on improvisation within songs – a concept that has always fascinated him deeply. Additionally, this musical vehicle inspired Mr. Bakkes to take up the trumpet which he is fervently pursuing in order to develop his understanding of music and incorporate it into his playing and writing. 

The duo continues to perform today, however as a gifted composer, Mr. Bakkes is constantly writing for different feels and moods in a effort to combine his love for blues and jazz with the unpredictable and energetic tension of his earlier influences. From this, stems the current manifestation of Mr. Bakkes playing a repertoire of his own material in his solo act. This material ranges from tongue-in-cheek lyrical stories of failed love, and tense pieces influenced by Charles Mingus, to beautiful and touching serenades about his love for the New Orleans culture. Mr. Bakkes is sure to have you laughing and smiling for some or other reason – most likely his solos on the kazoo.

- Liam Borgstrom

Stephen.J.Kosterman is following