‘I try to perfect something that is not possible to pefect’ – Abdullah Ibrahim
The slightly eccentric and vaunted pianist Abdullah Ibrahim – Mr Dollar Brand – is 85 years old and is one of the last living legends of South Africa’s golden age of music.
Blues for District Six
early one new year’s morning when the emerald bay waved its clear waters against the noisy dockyard a restless south easter skipped over slumbering lion’s head danced up hanover street tenored a bawdy banjo strung an ancient cello bridged a host of guitars tambourined through a dingy alley into a scented cobwebbed room and crackled […]
Beautiful music of Abdullah Ibrahim to soothe and inspire
Musicians perform an Abdullah Ibrahim number for their neighbourhood during quarantine.
Abdullah Ibrahim Africa Month Playlist
In celebration of Africa Month this May, Abdullah Ibrahim has partnered with Apple Music to curate a playlist featuring African artists.
“Water from an Ancient Well” – Jazz Vespers
The Jazz Ensemble of the Washington National Cathedral at Redeemer for the 2018-2019 Music at Redeemer Series, September 30, 2019.
Press Release: 2020 Spring Conferment of Decoration from Japan
On 29th April 2020, the Government of Japan announced the foreign recipients of the 2020 Spring Imperial Decoration. Abdullah Ibrahim is among the recipients of the decoration by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
Indaba My Children
‘We listen to the words of the dolphins.’
Covid-19 teaches us that human rights should be beyond shaking hands
Since President Cyril Ramaphosa last Sunday announced stringent measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, life in South Africa has changed.
Dream Time (Solo Piano) – Abdullah Ibrahim (Enja)
South African pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim was 84 when he performed this remarkable solo concert a year ago at a small recital hall in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, where he now makes his home. Even at his advanced age, he remains a superb stylist, focusing on nuance, mood and melody above thunder […]
Jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim maintains ‘The Balance’ in life and music
For more than six decades, South African jazz piano virtuoso Abdullah Ibrahim has delighted and enlightened audiences around the world. During his first years on the scene, Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand in Cape Town) kept company with giants like John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, as well as Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Coltrane and Coleman, whom he […]