Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya at Michigan Theater

The Guardian of London says that Abdullah Ibrahim “believes musicians are miscast as entertainers when their role is more akin to healers.” Nelson Mandela has referred to Abdullah Ibrahim as “South Africa’s Mozart,” and few would disagree. Born in 1934 in Cape Town, Ibrahim was influenced as a child by spiritual hymns, traditional African music, carnival and minstrel music, and American jazz, swing, and boogie woogie. He earned the nickname “Dollar” from American soldiers for his spirited efforts to buy American LPs, which could be found for one dollar. The nickname stuck, and he would later earn renown as “Dollar Brand.” Alongside Hugh Masekela, he performed and recorded the first jazz LP by Black South African musicians, and in 1963, Duke Ellington discovered him at a jazz café in Zurich, which launched his career as one of the leading pianists, composers, and figures in modern jazz...

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The Guardian of London says that Abdullah Ibrahim “believes musicians are miscast as entertainers when their role is more akin to healers.” Nelson Mandela has referred to Abdullah Ibrahim as “South Africa’s Mozart,” and few would disagree. Born in 1934 in Cape Town, Ibrahim was influenced as a child by spiritual hymns, traditional African music, carnival and minstrel music, and American jazz, swing, and boogie woogie. He earned the nickname “Dollar” from American soldiers for his spirited efforts to buy American LPs, which could be found for one dollar. The nickname stuck, and he would later earn renown as “Dollar Brand.” Alongside Hugh Masekela, he performed and recorded the first jazz LP by Black South African musicians, and in 1963, Duke Ellington discovered him at a jazz café in Zurich, which launched his career as one of the leading pianists, composers, and figures in modern jazz. In the 1980s, he formed his magnificent septet Ekaya, one of the most successful acoustic jazz groups of this era. His latest recording with Ekaya, Sotho Blue, is a joyful and swinging affair. “Comparing his tone and manner to anyone living or dead is really impossible.” (AllAboutJazz.com)

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