Results for "abdullah ibrahim"

Musician

Abdullah Ibrahim

Born: October 9, 1934

Abdullah Ibrahim’s new solo program transcends category, combining the intimate and the universal in a unique way that is hinted at in its title. SENZO means “Ancestor” in both Chinese and Japanese. SENZO also echoes the name of Abdullah Ibrahim’s Sotho father, in whose language the word translates as “Creator”.

Abdullah Ibrahim, South Africa’s most distinguished pianist and a world-respected master musician, was born in 1934 in Cape Town and baptized Adolph Johannes Brand. His early musical memories were of traditional African Khoi-san songs and the Christian hymns, gospel tunes and spirituals that he heard from his grandmother, who was pianist for the local African Methodist Episcopalian church, and his mother, who led the choir. The Cape Town of his childhood was a melting-pot of cultural influences, and the young Dollar Brand, as he became known, was exposed to American jazz, township jive, CapeMalay music, as well as to classical music. Out of this blend of the secular and the religious, the traditional and the modern, developed the distinctive style, harmonies and musical vocabulary that are inimitably his own.

Article: Album Review

Science Fair: Sugar in the Morning

by Daniel Mège
October 8, 2026

Listening to Anna Ueland amounts to turning a question mark into an exclamation mark. Heard at the Trondheim Jazzfestival in 2026, when elected Ambassador of the University of Trondheim, she presented her string-dominated group Populærmusikk for likesinnede (Popular music for like-minded people), joyful experimental jazz-pop with first-rate soloists. She had just released Music For A Noisy Environment (Sonic ...

Article: Album Review

Sharp Little Bones: Step Up! Get Down!

by Neil Duggan
October 8, 2026

Sharp Little Bones began as the house trio at Peggy's Skylight jazz club, a much-acclaimed jazz venue in Nottingham, UK. Consisting of Simon Paterson on upright and electric basses, Paul Deats (who co-founded Peggy's) on Rhodes piano and Andrew “Woody" Wood on drums, they were later joined by tenor saxophonist Tony Kofi, who joined for a ...

Article: Album Review

Irene Schweizer: Piano Solo: Prelude To A Kiss And More

by Mark Corroto
September 8, 2026

It might be a touch of hyperbole to say the world wasn't ready for Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer's 1986 recording Piano Solo: Prelude To A Kiss And More. Yet listening to it some 40 years later, that may well be your first thought. Schweizer (1941--2024) had already established herself as a formidable improviser through recordings such ...

Article: Catching Up With

Goldings, Bernstein & Stewart on 35 Years Together and Their New Album

by Leo Sidran
August 18, 2026

You can tell a lot about a band by the way they act offstage, how they talk to one another, and even more, how they listen. By the quality of their conversation. It's a useful measure when talking about Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, and Bill Stewart, a trio whose history stretches back more than ...

Article: Interview

‘I Thought I Composed That’: Terence Blanchard and the Inheritance of Jazz

by Kofi Adjepong-Boateng
August 4, 2026

Cadogan Hall, where Terence Blanchard and I met, was built in 1907 as a church in the Byzantine Revival style. When its congregation dwindled, the Cadogan Estate reopened it in 2004 as an arts venue, preserving Arild Rosenkrantz's stained glass and stone while the purpose was reimagined--a fitting room in which to discuss “inheritance" and “creation" ...

Video

The Wedding

Featuring the music of Abdullah Ibrahim
Duration: 04:55
July 19, 2026

Lauded pianist Abdullah Ibrahim was known for the purity of his sound and of his soul. His technique was not flashy. Early in his career (then known as "Dollar Brand"), he led the development of "Cape Town Jazz," a light, uplifting style that combined gospel, African street music and big band swing. Later, his songs took on greater protestation of Apartheid in South Africa. Many would say his most cherished works were folksy, introspective solo compositions. Here we have a superb example of the sanctified space he creates while performing solo, on “The Wedding” from his Solotude album. For an ensemble piece with flute, sax, and trombone, look on YouTube for "Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya - Water from an Ancient World" to wash over you. (Thanks to AAJ colleague Kofi Adjepong-Boateng for recommending these pieces and writing the obituary of Abdullah Ibrahim: 1934–2026).

Article: Album Review

Sunna Gunnlaugs: Go Round Merry

by Ian Patterson
July 12, 2026

The title of Icelandic pianist-composer Sunna Gunnlaugs' 15th album as leader is a manifesto of sorts--a call to embrace the moment and savor life's simple pleasures as we go about our business. Gunnlaugs has always shown a penchant for memorable melodies, and this album--her sixth with her longstanding trio partners, bassist Þorgrímur Jónsson and drummer Scott ...

Article: Album Review

Zoe Rahman: Hull Suite Live

by Neil Duggan
July 2, 2026

Hull Suite Live was written by Zoe Rahman for World Piano Day 2024 and commissioned by the Hull Jazz Festival. Two statues inspired the suite in the coastal city of Hull, “Voyage" and “Migrants Statue."  The two works, which stand on the waterfront, were erected to commemorate the city's history of global migration. The suite explores ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Ben Wolfe, David Janeway, and Ben Wendel

by Jerome Wilson
July 1, 2026

This episode features new music from Ben Wolfe, David Janeway and Ben Wendel as well as older work from Conrad Herwig, Carmen McRae and the late Abdullah Ibrahim (aka Dollar Brand).Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) ...