Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya
Rhapsodic melodies from the pioneering pianist and his ensemble.
22/23 Hop PresentsFrom solo piano ruminations to effervescent group sets, Abdullah Ibrahim is known for his distinctive sound that reflects his multicultural influences. He blends the traditional African songs, gospel of the AME Church and Ragas of his childhood with post-bop and other Western styles from his time in Europe and New York. A cultural icon, Ibrahim pioneered South African jazz at a time when the genre symbolized resistance against the apartheid regime and his Mannenberg became an unofficial national anthem for black South Africans.
At the Hop, he takes to the stage with his groundbreaking ensemble Ekaya (the Zulu word for Homeland) for their signature rich, spiritual sets.
A conversation with the artists follows.
Abdullah Ibrahim is South Africa's most distinguished pianist and a world-respected master musician. Born in Cape Town, Dollar Brand, as he became known, was exposed to a melting pot of cultural influences: African traditional music, Christian hymns, gospel tunes and spirituals, as well as American jazz, township jive and classical music. Out of this blend of the secular and religious, the traditional and the modern, Abdullah Ibrahim's distinctive sound and musical vocabulary was born.
With the turn of the decade and the release of his most recent album Solotude, recorded on the pianist's birthday amid the coronavirus restrictions of autumn 2020, Abdullah Ibrahim remains at his zenith as a musician and as a tireless initiator of new projects.
Abdullah has over 100 albums and over 300 compositions to his name.
“mind-opening”
NPR
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