Abdullah Ibrahim returns to Cape Town this March. The 91-year-old pianist and composer will perform at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival on March 27 and 28, marking a significant moment for South African jazz enthusiasts who have followed his six-decade career.
Born in District Six on October 9, 1934, Mr Ibrahim absorbed the musical textures of Cape Town’s vibrant cultural landscape from an early age.
He formed the Dollar Brand Trio in 1958, and the following year co-founded The Jazz Epistles alongside Hugh Masekela, Kippie Moeketsi, and Jonas Gwangwa, producing what would become the first jazz album recorded by South African musicians.
The Sharpeville Massacre and escalating apartheid repression forced Mr Ibrahim into exile, a period that would ultimately expand his global footprint.
At the #JoyOfJazz Abdullah Ibrahim played on the touchline of immortality, as if we were watching him pass by a window of something timeless pic.twitter.com/icmbxCUH3e
— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) October 1, 2017
While living in Zurich, his partner Sathima Bea Benjamin introduced him to Duke Ellington, a meeting that proved pivotal for his international trajectory.
“Manenberg (Is Where It’s Happening”)
This composition emerged as one of his most powerful projects, becoming an enduring anthem of resistance and hope during the anti-apartheid struggle. Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 prompted Mr Ibrahim’s return to South Africa after decades abroad.
Four years later, he performed at Mandela’s presidential inauguration, a moment widely interpreted as both personal redemption and national restoration.
The CTIJF’s 23rd edition positions Mr Ibrahim’s Rosies stage performance as a convergence of multiple generations and musical histories. The intimate venue accommodates limited audiences, with ticketing details to be announced closer to the event date.
He shares the bill with Grammy winner Jacob Collier, the Yellowjackets, UK saxophonist Jasmine Myra, and local acts including Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, Nduduzo Makhathini, Rorisang Sechele, and Jazzwrld & Thukuthela.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, with payment plan options offered via Loot.