Abdullah Ibrahim
Photo: Tore Sætre, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pianists · 1934–2026

Abdullah Ibrahim

South African pianist and composer (1934–2026)

Born
9 October 1934
Cape Town
Died
15 June 2026
Prien am Chiemsee
Country
South Africa
Record labels
Enja Records
Discography
77 albums

Biography

Abdullah Ibrahim was a jazz musician who played piano, saxophone, soprano saxophone and voice. Abdullah Ibrahim was born on 9 October 1934 in Cape Town and died on 15 June 2026 in Prien am Chiemsee. The music is usually filed under jazz, post-bop and bebop. Record labels: Enja Records. The discography here lists 77 albums, from “Anatomy of a South African Village” (1965) to “3” (2024). Honours include Order of Ikhamanga in Silver (2009) and NEA Jazz Masters.

Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand; 9 October 1934 – 15 June 2026), previously known as Dollar Brand, was 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. Ibrahim is considered the leading figure in the subgenre of Cape jazz. Within jazz, his music particularly reflects the influence of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. He is known especially for "Mannenberg", a jazz piece that became an anti-apartheid anthem. During the apartheid era in the 1960s, Ibrahim moved to New York City and, apart from a brief return to South Africa in the 1970s, remained in exile until the early 1990s.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

Anatomy of a South African Village 1965 · Live · Fontana African Piano 1970 · Live · Spectator Records Peace 1971 · Soultown Records Dollar Brand + 3 1973 · Soultown Records Sangoma 1973 · Sackville This Is Dollar Brand 1973 · Black Lion Records African Breeze 1974 · EAST WIND African Sketchbook 1974 · enja African Space Program 1974 · enja
Ancient Africa 1974 · Live · Japo Records
Good News From Africa 1974 · Cameo Records
Mannenberg ‘Is Where It’s Happening’ 1974 · The Sun
Ode to Duke Ellington 1974 · Philips The Third World-Underground 1974 · Live · Nadja Underground in Africa 1974 · Soultown Records “Memories” 1974 · Philips African Herbs 1975 · The Sun
African Portraits 1976 · Sackville
Banyana: Children of Africa 1976 · enja Black Lightning 1976 · The Sun Blues for a Hip King 1976 · The Sun Natural Rhythm 1977 · The Sun The Journey 1977 · Chiaroscuro Records Anthem for the New Nations 1978 · DENON
Nisa 1978
Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro 1979 · The Sun
Echoes From Africa 1979 · enja African Marketplace 1980 · Elektra Dollar Brand at Montreux 1980 · Live · enja The Dream 1980 · Live · Freedom Duet 1981 · DENON
Matsidiso: Piano Solo Live 1981 · Pläne
South African Sunshine 1982 · Live · Verlag "Pläne" GmbH African Dawn 1983 · enja Autobiography 1983 · Live · Plainisphare Ekaya 1983 · Ekapa RPM Live at Sweet Basil, Vol. 1. 1983 · Live · Ekapa Records Zimbabwe 1983 · enja Duke's Memories 1986 · Live · String South Africa 1986 · Live · enja Water From an Ancient Well 1986 · Blackhawk Records Mindif 1988 · enja Round Midnight at the Montmartre 1988 · Live · Black Lion African River 1989 · enja
Live (Jazzbühne Berlin) 1990 · Live · Repertoire Records
Mantra Mode 1991 · African Echoes Desert Flowers 1992 · enja Knysna Blue 1993 · Tiptoe Cape Town Flowers 1997 · Tiptoe African Suite - For Trio and String Orchestra 1998 · enja Township One More Time 1998 · The Sun African Symphony 2001 · enja Ekapa Lodumo 2001 · Live · Tiptoe African Magic 2002 · Live · enja No Fear, No Die (S'en fout la mort)) 2002 · Tiptoe Senzo ~先祖 2008 · intuition Bombella: Gold Train - South Africa 2009 · intuition
1987-05-18: Gardner Arts Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton, England 2010 · Live
Sotho Blue 2010 · Sunnyside
1988-07-01: Lugano, Switzerland 2012 · Live
Mukashi: Once Upon a Time 2013 · intuition The Song Is My Story 2014 · intuition
2003: NDR Studio, Hamburg, Germany (FM) 2018 · Live
Dream Time 2019 · enja The Balance 2019 · Gearbox Records
1985-03-23: 11th Street Theatre, Chicago, IL 2021 · Live
Solotude 2021 Trio 2022 · Live · Delta Music 3 2024 · Gearbox Records
1978-11-10: Pre-Estival Jazz, Lugano, Trevano Aula Magna · Live
1982-02-14: Festival des politischen Liedes · Live
2015-03-09: Adelaide, Australia · Live
2015-03-10: Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide, Australia · Live
2015-10-21: Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI · Live
2017-07-30: Glatt & Verkehrt Festival, Krems, Austria · Live
2017-11-04: Zürich, Switzerland
Jazz Festival Willisau 1995 · Live

Also plays on

Albums where Abdullah Ibrahim is credited as a sideman

Awards

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Abdullah Ibrahim play?

Abdullah Ibrahim is known for playing piano, saxophone, soprano saxophone and voice.

When and where was Abdullah Ibrahim born?

Abdullah Ibrahim was born 9 October 1934 in Cape Town.

What are Abdullah Ibrahim's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Anatomy of a South African Village (1965), African Piano (1970), Peace (1971), Dollar Brand + 3 (1973) and Sangoma (1973).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.