African traditional music, Christian hymns, gospels and spirituals as well as American jazz, township and classical music are among his influences.
Even at the age of 90, the South African pianist is still making unmistakable music that has encouraged and influenced generations of musicians to give jazz its basic African color. Abdulla Ibrahim's work is still of fundamental importance today. His first albums were released under the pseudonym Dollar Brand until he converted to Islam and changed his name at the end of the 1960s. In 1959, he released The Jazz Epistles, the first LP by a black South African band, which became a cultural manifesto during the struggle against apartheid. In 1974, on a temporary return to his homeland, the now exiled musician created the unofficial anthem of the African National Congress (ANC) with Mannenberg. Back in exile after the Soweto uprising in 1976, Ibrahim released acclaimed albums such as Africa - Tears and Laughter, African Dawn and Water from an Ancient Well. After Nelson Mandela's release in 1990, Ibrahim returned to South Africa. He has now lived in southern Germany for several years. As part of a series of concerts to mark his 90th birthday, he will be accompanied by Cleave Guyton on saxophone and Noah Jackson on bass and cello.
