Abdullah Ibrahim

Abdullah Ibrahim, an internationally renowned pianist and composer, co-founded The Jazz Epistles in 1959, a groundbreaking septet that recorded ”Jazz Epistle Verse One” in 1960, becoming the first full-length jazz LP by Black South African musicians. Having made his professional debut at age fifteen, he formed the Dollar Brand Trio in 1958. During a period when jazz symbolized resistance against apartheid, Ibrahim’s work laid a crucial foundation for his distinguished career. In 1962, Ibrahim relocated to Europe, where Duke Ellington facilitated a recording session for ”Duke Ellington Presents the Dollar Brand Trio” in 1963, leading to European festivals and radio appearances.

In 1974, he recorded ‘Mannenberg,’ a composition that became an unofficial national anthem and powerful anti-apartheid symbol. Alongside Sathima Bea Benjamin, he co-founded the Ekapa record company in 1981, subsequently leading his group Ekaya from 1983. His compositional work provided the soundtrack for ”Chocolat” in 1988. Ibrahim performed at Nelson Mandela’s 1994 inauguration, and toured with drummer Max Roach in 1997.

The same year, he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the University of the Witwatersrand and received South Africa’s national honour, the Order of Ikhamanga (Silver). In 2016, he reunited with Hugh Masekela for a Jazz Epistles tribute, celebrating their six-decade collaboration. He was honored with the German Jazz Trophy in 2017 and became a recipient of the esteemed NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2018, solidifying his legacy as a jazz icon.