24 | 6 | 2026
Dollar Brand / Abdullah Ibrahim 1934 - 2026
“Because of the multi-cultural outlook and social milieu, jazz became a symbol of resistance to the apartheid regime. Just listen to the cool precision of Abdullah Ibrahim’s piano, or the impassioned sax screaming of Kippie Moeketsie or Dudu Pukwana and you can tell the music is full of sub-plots and barely concealed agendas. In the 1960’s many musicians left the country for self-imposed exile, taking their music to the world stage in the search for creative freedom. Key figures Ibrahim (Dollar Brand), Hugh Masekela and Jonas Gwangwa were the first to leave. The most iconoclastic survivor is Abdullah Ibrahim, who has achieved monumental status as the continent’s finest pianist and one of its greatest artists.”
Inlaytekst van Graeme Ewens bij de CD, ‘Freedom Blues / South African Jazz Under Apartheid’ (Nascente 1999).