See all 3 photos

Abdullah Ibrahim

243,227 plays (31,775 listeners)
In your library (0 plays)

Listening now: d-arb

Abdullah Ibrahim (born 1934, Cape Town, South Africa), formerly known as Adolph Johannes Brand, and as Dollar Brand (from a popular brand of matches), is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the AME Church and ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. He first received piano lessons at the age of seven, was an avid consumer of jazz records brought by American sailors, and was playing jazz professionally by 1949. In 1959 and 1960, he played alongside Kippie Moeketsi with The Jazz Epistles in Sophiatown before joining the European tour of the musical King Kong.

In 1962 during a tour of Europe, Duke Ellington heard “The Dollar Brand Trio” playing in Zürich’s “Africana Club”. As a result, a recording was set up with Reprise Records; “Duke Ellington presents The Dollar Brand Trio”. The Dollar Brand Trio (with Johnny Gertze on bass and Makaya Ntshoko on drums) subsequently played at many European festivals, as well as on radio and television.

He briefly returned to South Africa in the mid-1970s after his conversion to Islam (and the resultant change of name from Dollar Brand to Abdullah Ibrahim); however, he soon returned to New York in 1976, as he found the political conditions too oppressive. While in South Africa, however, he made a series of recordings with noted Cape Town jazz players (including Basil Coetzee and Robbie Jansen). This included Coetzee’s masterpiece, “

Mannenberg”, acknowledged by most as one of South Africa’s greatest musical compositions; the recording soon became an unofficial soundtrack to the anti-apartheid resistance.

Tagged as:

jazz, piano, african, jazz piano, world
See more…

1	Blues for a Hip King full track	102
2	The Wedding full track	85
3	Tuang Guru full track	72
3	The Mountain full track	72
5	For Coltrane full track	69
6	Ishmael full track	66
7	Blue Bolero full track	52
8	Eleventh Hour	40
9	Water From An Ancient Well full track	36
10	Thaba Bhosigo full track	33
11	In a sentimental mood full track	31
12	District Six full track	29
12	Pule full track	29
14	Song For Sathima full track	24
14	Tintinyana full track	24

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

boroboro222 wrote:
16 days ago

Hi to all! i just found a place where to download acid jazz mp3 to hard drive http://mp3downloadserver.net/ jazzzinggg ;)

View Profile | Leave boroboro222 a shout
eclectictrains wrote:
August 2008

At last I have found this track. I am at peace with my musical world. I saw Abdullah Ibrahim back in 1993 at the Jazz Cafe in Camden London. He was playing as a 4 piece with some NY based musicians and they were amazing. "The Mountain" melted over me and the audience and we were caught under his spell. Abdullah Ibrahim is so prolific and I didn't which album it was on. I had, and still have, the tune in my head but didn't know it's name. On one occasion I even whistled it to a man behind the counter on the jazz floor of Virgin on Oxford Street. Thanks Last.fm, a musical mission has been accomplished. I might even buy the cd...

View Profile | Leave eclectictrains a shout
Shichman wrote:
July 2008

good stuff

View Profile | Leave Shichman a shout
maxi_d wrote:
May 2008

so good...

View Profile | Leave maxi_d a shout
zziverbey wrote:
March 2008

great man, great music

View Profile | Leave zziverbey a shout
Arbun wrote:
May 2007

Zimbabwe!...Great music, spirit of Africa!

View Profile | Leave Arbun a shout
sparsk wrote:
May 2007

This music is so deep and fluid! Can't get enough African Magic.

View Profile | Leave sparsk a shout