Abdullah Ibrahim | Artist

Abdullah Ibrahim, formerly Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer born in 1934. His music reflects the musical influences of the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the Church and ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. During the apartheid era in the 1960s Ibrahim moved to New York City and, apart from a brief return to South Africa in the 1970s, remained in exile until the early '90s. Over the decades he has toured the world extensively, appearing at major venues either as a solo artist or playing with other renowned musicians, including Max Roach, Carlos Ward and Randy Weston, as well as collaborating with classical orchestras in Europe. Ibrahim studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York where he interacted with many progressive musicians, among them Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Cecil Taylor and Archie Shep As the Black Power movement developed in the 1960s and 1970s, it influenced a number of Ibrahim's friends and collaborators, who began to see their music as a form of cultural nationalism. Ibrahim in turn began to incorporate African elements into his jazz. Over his career Ibrahim has released over 50 studio albums, including collaborations. Standouts include Underground in Africa, African Space Program, Cape Town Fringe, African Herbs and Senzo. Alongside his solo work, Ibrahim was a member of the South African ensemble The Jazz Epistles with Hugh Masekela, who issued one excellent album Verse 1 (1960), plus The Third Wold withy Don Cherry and Carlos Ward, who issued the live album Underground (1974).

Artist Website: abdullahibrahim.co.za

Featured Albums: Abdullah Ibrahim

Related Artists: Dollar Brand, Hugh Masekela, Jean Grae