South African pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim, formerly known as Dollar Brand, returned to New York City Oct. 3-4, delivering two emotional evenings of musical exploration that featured NEA Jazz Master Terrence Blanchard, saxophonist Kenny Garrett, and bassist Cecil McBee in the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The influential musician who developed a relationship with Duke Ellington and moved to New York City in the 1960s in the wake of South African apartheid, performed in various incarnations, showcasing his compositions through different ensemble configurations, and by himself at the piano. Ibrahim, who has explored the pantheon of jazz through his vast body of work over his seven-decade career, is responsible for developing “Cape Jazz,” a sub-genre of the style that fused traditional African rhythm with American jazz and pop sensibilities in Cape Town, one of the capitals of South Africa. His 1974 composition, “Mannenburg,” has become synonymous with the anti-apartheid movement of the time, although Ibrahim did not intend it to be a protest song initially, as he told the New York Amsterdam News in an interview ahead of the performances.
The tune serves as an example of how art can be reinterpreted and repurposed, how it can illustrate a particular time or place, and how it can be used as a catalyst for change. The event was a part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 25-26 season titled “Mother Africa,” which aims to “celebrate jazz and the African diaspora that brought it to life,” according to their website. Ibrahim and his ensemble certainly explored throughout the evening, taking the audience that packed out the scenic Rose Theater in Columbus Circle on a journey that juxtaposed peaks of furious up-tempo swing, and noisy, rock-tinged improvisational wails from the horn section against floating valleys of introspective, open passages and moments of deep-in-the-pocket blues and groove. Ibrahim’s vast and extraordinary experience over his lifetime flowed through him and his cast of expert musicians, offering audiences a glimpse into the mind of a once-in-a-lifetime artist who transcends genre lines and generations.
Towards the end of the evening, Ibrahim sat at the piano, singing, chanting, and reciting reflective, solemn words from a composition titled “Trance-mission.” “Africa, far, far away, I hope I’ll see my home again someday,” he sang. “Welcome home.”
You can stay up to date with Abdullah Ibrahim’s work at abdullahibrahim.co.za.