Abdullah Ibrahim was given the name Adolph Johannes Brand when he was born in Cape Town in the year 1934. He grew up surrounded by a melting pot of cultural influences and musical styles. Drawing from the blend of the secular and the religious, the traditional and the modern, the local and the foreign, he developed his own style, harmonies, and musical vocabulary, becoming a unique artist with a personal and inimitable sound.
As a pioneer of jazz in the African continent, his group, The Jazz Epistles, which included trumpeter Hugh Masakela, was the first black ensemble to record an LP in South Africa, Jazz Epistle Verse One (1960).
His first steps on the international stage were guided by none other than Duke Ellington, who sponsored the album Duke Ellington Presents The Dollar Brand Trio (1963) for the Reprise label. Since then, Abdullah Ibrahim's career, both as a group and solo artist, has been universally acclaimed.
Over the years, he has pursued an intense career filled with great projects and enriching musical experiences. He has lived across three continents: Africa, Europe, and America. He has been part of the New York jazz avant-garde alongside Elvin Jones, John Coltrane, Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, and Pharoah Sanders. He was also a pioneer of 1980s jazz with his American band Ekaya.
At the same time, he has recorded dozens of magnificent albums, performed worldwide in major concert halls and festivals, composed soundtracks, collaborated with classical orchestras, taught in schools and universities, and received awards and honors. He has also undertaken charitable and educational projects. Throughout all this, he has never lost his ties to South Africa, where his music is revered, and his composition "Mannenberg" became the unofficial anthem of the anti-apartheid movement.
Abdullah Ibrahim, one of the great legends of jazz of all time, an ethical and artistic role model, continues to be active. His presence in Almuñécar, at the Jazz en la Costa Festival, is a unique opportunity to enjoy his music and his humanity.