Richardine Bartee
How many people do you know from Mill Basin, Brooklyn? If you are a New Yorker and you cannot picture where the neighbourhood is, allow me to help you out. Mill Basin is a former marshland nestled by Jamaica Bay. King Plaza isn’t too far off. Different styles of architecture adorn the area; Making multi-million dollar private homes a juxtaposition to the rest of Brooklyn’s infamous bricked apartment buildings. As far as I know, there aren’t any larger-than-life personalities or musicians that come from the island.
But then I met with the Kaye sisters: Mara and Zandra. At first glance, the Jewish sisters don’t appear to be what today’s standards of what celebrity suggests, but their voices are out-of-this-world. Undeniably talented with vocals that sound like a time before them, they are a rare sibling kind. How many sisters do you know with mirroring talent? Zandra Kaye and I met during my days at Ramon Illmind Ibanga Jr’s basement recording studio on Herkimer Place in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. At the time, she and a young man were working on a music video. As we stood outside, she shared her music with me. I remembered thinking: Wow, what a unique voice, one that rappers like to sample.
Furthermore, time passed. I was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at a studio session for UFO FEV. Naturally, I stepped out of the room to make a phone call. Next, I bumped into her. It made sense to introduce the two, so I did. They’ve recorded songs together and released a music video for a song titled, “Maybe.” Zandra was the first person I interviewed for the UNCUT series, but the universe wanted her interview to come out New Year Day.
Zandra Kaye’s favourite lyrics come from Erykah Badu’s “Bag Lady.” It is the first single from the legendary eccentric singer’s 2000 album titled, Mama’s Gun. Stream my interview with Zandra Kaye. Finally, she might be the best thing to come out of Mill Basin. You don’t want to say you’ve missed the boat. Finally, Kaye nominates DJ Prince to interview. Her favourite book is “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse.
