Abdullah Ibrahim Trio at San Sebastian Jazz Festival at Plaza De La Trinidad (trinity Square)

Abdullah Ibrahim is the living history of Jazz, the symbol and leading light of an entire brilliant generation of South African musicians. In his long career, spanning more than 70 years, the South African genius has performed 5 times at the Jazzaldia, delivering magical concerts that remain, years later, in the memory of those lucky enough to enjoy them.

Abdullah Ibrahim was christened Adolph Johannes Brand on his birth in Cape City in the year 1934. His was a musical family; his grandmother played the piano in the church where his mother directed the choir, and at the early age of 7 years he too started to study the piano. He grew up surrounded by myriad musical styles: religious and classical; traditional, such as mbaqanga; influenced by Jazz, including marabi; and coming from abroad, like North American Jazz. Based on this combination of secular and religious, traditional and modern, local and foreign music, he set about forging his own style, harmonies and musical vocabulary, becoming a unique artist with a personal and inimitable sound....

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Abdullah Ibrahim is the living history of Jazz, the symbol and leading light of an entire brilliant generation of South African musicians. In his long career, spanning more than 70 years, the South African genius has performed 5 times at the Jazzaldia, delivering magical concerts that remain, years later, in the memory of those lucky enough to enjoy them.

Abdullah Ibrahim was christened Adolph Johannes Brand on his birth in Cape City in the year 1934. His was a musical family; his grandmother played the piano in the church where his mother directed the choir, and at the early age of 7 years he too started to study the piano. He grew up surrounded by myriad musical styles: religious and classical; traditional, such as mbaqanga; influenced by Jazz, including marabi; and coming from abroad, like North American Jazz. Based on this combination of secular and religious, traditional and modern, local and foreign music, he set about forging his own style, harmonies and musical vocabulary, becoming a unique artist with a personal and inimitable sound.

In his early days as a professional musician in South Africa, still going by the artistic name of Dollar Brand, he worked with musicians including Hugh Masekela and Kippi Moeketsi, with both of whom he recorded the first Jazz album made entirely by South African musicians, Jazz Epistle Verse One (1960).

His first steps in the international arena were guided by the self-same Duke Ellington, godfather of the album Duke Ellington Presents The Dollar Brand Trio (1963). Four years later, he took over from the maestro to front the Duke Ellington Orchestra for five concerts.

In the 60s, Jazz symbolised resistance and was considered subversive and dangerous under apartheid. Thus, with the exception of a few short visits, Ibrahim was obliged to stay in exile, first of all in Europe, and shortly afterwards in New York, where he lived until the apartheid was abolished in the early 90s with Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.
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After Abdullah Ibrahim Nubya Garcia will perform in the same venue. The same ticket gives you the right to see both concerts.

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