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About Abdullah Ibrahim
Joey D Came To Town, Abdullah’s A Winner & More
by Marc Cohn
Three features for you this week. Joey DeFrancesco wowed Baton Rouge on Wednesday, November 28th at the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge; we warmed up the crowd on Gifts and Messages with DrJazz's request list. Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is a 2019 NEA Jazz Masters Award winner, and we spotlight his Penguin Guide 'Core Collection' recording, Yarona. And we also spotlight Charlie Christian with Benny Goodman from the 25th ASCAP anniversary concert @ Carnegie Hall in 1939. Of course, there's much, ...
Continue ReadingJazz in Exile, Part Two
by Seton Hawkins
South Africa's Jazz enters a period of exile following the Sharpeville Massacre. In Part Two of Jazz in Exile, we'll examine more closely the artists who leave South Africa for Europe, learn about their stories, and hear their music. Playlist Blue Notes Ntyilo Ntyilo" from Blue Notes for Johnny (Ogun Records) 01:49 Brotherhood of Breath Mra" from Brotherhood of Breath (Repertoire Records) 09:45 Johnny Dyani Radebe" from Witchdoctor's Son (Steeplechase Records) 16:15 Louis Moholo-Moholo Ithi Gqi" from Spirits Rejoice! (Ogun ...
Continue ReadingAbdullah Ibrahim at the Michigan Theater
by C. Andrew Hovan
Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya Michigan Theater A Tribute to the Jazz Epistles Ann Arbor, Michigan April 13, 2018 Back in the fall of 2015, the University Musical Society had the rare opportunity to present the legendary South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim in one of his rare U.S. appearances. So when UMS announced last spring that Ibrahim would again return to Ann Arbor for their 2017-2018 season, it was cause for celebration. Upping the ante ...
Continue ReadingThe Jazz Epistles featuring Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya at The Town Hall
by Dan Bilawsky
The Jazz Epistles featuring Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya The Town Hall New York, NY April 27, 2017 There are rare instances when a musical message for the times manages to transcend its place, evolving into a message for all time. Such is the case with The Jazz Epistles, the first black South African band to embrace and advance the sounds of modern jazz. Back in 1959, a collection of that country's ...
Continue ReadingAbdullah Ibrahim in Stunning Recital at the 30th Annual Oslo Jazz Festival
by John Ephland
Abdullah Ibrahim Universitetets Aula 30th Annual Oslo Jazz Festival Oslo, Norway August 16, 2016 Alternately rhapsodic and episodic, pianist/composer Abdullah Ibrahim filled the airs of the 500- seat Universitetets Aula with melody upon melody, all of it improvised yet seemingly composed. The occasion was the 30th annual Oslo Jazz Festival, August 14-20, and Ibrahim was going it alone, a scheduled trio performance canceled due to rumors of a terrorist ...
Continue ReadingAbullah Ibrahim at SFJAZZ
by Harry S. Pariser
Abdullah Ibrahim SFJAZZ San Francisco, CA April 29-30, 2016 At 81, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, is still going strong, something he proved during a remarkable tour-de-force performance which spanned four nights at SFJAZZ in San Francisco. For the first two evenings (Thursday and Friday), Ibrahim appeared in the company of his Mukashi Trio. For these nights, Ibrahim brought together bassist, cellist, and composer Noah Jackson, a Detroit native, and Cleave Guyton Jr. who played ...
Continue ReadingAbdullah Ibrahim at The National Concert Hall, Dublin
by Ian Patterson
Abdullah Ibrahim National Concert Hall Dublin, Ireland March 4, 2016 South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is showing few signs of a diminished appetite for the road, despite turning eighty one this past November. A short UK tour precedes a string of US dates and there are already gigs in the diary for 2017. This one-off Irish show at the National Concert Hall presented Ibrahim solo, a context he has repeatedly explored during his ...
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