Ibrahim<\/a>, formerly known as Dollar Brand, passed away peacefully in Germany following a short illness, surrounded by loved ones, the statement issued on behalf of his family said.<\/p>\nAs one of South Africa\u2019s most respected jazz figures, he famously played at Nelson Mandela\u2019s 1994 presidential inauguration. Mandela referred to Ibrahim as \u201cour Mozart.\u201d<\/p>\n
His final public concert in South Africa took place at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in March, when he once again captivated audiences with the musical skill that defined his career.<\/p>\n
Paying tribute to her partner, Dr. Marina Umari said he \u201cpassed away peacefully with South Africa and its people in his heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis love for his country never wavered, no matter where in the world he found himself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
His family said that even though his life is over, his influence and voice would continue to resonate around the world.<\/p>\n
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to the musician, praising his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle and acknowledging his lasting impact through music.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday our nation mourns the passing of an international icon and global citizen whose profound creations honored the South Africa that shaped his political commitment and musical brilliance,\u201d said Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n
Born Adolph Johannes Brand in Cape Town on Oct. 9, 1934, Ibrahim rose to international prominence as a pianist, composer and bandleader. With a career spanning more than seven decades, he forged a unique blend of jazz and South African musical traditions, making him a cultural ambassador whose music struck a chord with listeners worldwide.<\/p>\n
Ibrahim\u2019s mother Rachel Brand was mixed-race and under the apartheid system he was classified as \u201ccolored,\u201d which afforded him certain social privileges that were denied Black South Africans. He was raised by grandparents and was told Rachel was his sister, only learning the truth in adulthood. Influenced by his grandmother and mother playing piano at the AME Church in Kensington, a Cape Town suburb, Irbrahim began piano lessons at age 7 and made his professional debut at 15.<\/p>\n
In 1959 and 1960, he played with saxophonists Kippie Moeketsi and Mackay Davashe, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, trombonist Jonas Gwangwa, bassist Johnny Gertze and drummer Makaya Ntshoko in the Jazz Epistles. The group recorded the first full-length jazz LP by Black South African musicians, \u201cJazz Epistle \u2014 Verse 1.\u201d The South African government began targeting jazz groups as part of increasing state repression, and following the Sharpeville massacre in March 1960, the Jazz Epistles broke up.<\/p>\n
During this time, Ibrahim met jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin and the pair moved to Europe. The following year, in Zurich, Switzerland, Benjamin convinced Duke Ellington to come see Ibrahim perform with the Dollar Brand Trio. Impressed, Ellington helped arrange a recording session with Reprise Records, later released as \u201cDuke Ellington presents The Dollar Brand Trio.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1965, Ibrahim and Benjamin married and moved to New York. He played at the Newport Jazz Festival and toured throughout the U.S. In addition to playing with, and, on occasion, leading the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Ibrahim interacted with such musicians as Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, and was influenced by the Black Power movement, incorporating African elements into his jazz. His compositions also reflected the influence of Ellington and Thelonious Monk.<\/p>\n
The musician returned briefly to Cape Town in 1968 and converted to Islam, changing his name from Dollar Brand to Abdullah Ibrahim. As an expatriate, he toured the world for decades, appearing at major venues and working with classical orchestras in Europe. His composition \u201cMannenberg\u201d became noteworthy as an anthem of South Africa\u2019s anti-apartheid movement.<\/p>\n
In 2009, Ibrahim received an honorary doctorate in music from Wits University and the Order of Ikhamanga, a prestigious civilian award, from former President Jacob Zuma in the same year.<\/p>\n
Ibrahim was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2019.<\/p>\n
Alan Winde, the mayor of the Western Cape, where Ibrahim\u2019s hometown is located, honored the performer and commended him for capturing South Africa\u2019s cultural richness and history in his music.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Africa has lost a legend,\u201d Winde said. \u201cAbdullah Ibrahim represented everything that makes South Africa and the Western Cape so remarkable. His music told the story of our unique cultural diversity and past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ibrahim is survived by Umari; his son, Tsakwe, a musician; and his daughter, Tsidi, a rapper who goes by Jean Grae.<\/p>\n
According to his family, Ibrahim will be laid to rest in the German state of Bavaria, where he lived.<\/p>\n
Gumede writes for the Associated Press. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JOHANNESBURG\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Globally celebrated South African jazz icon Abdullah Ibrahim has died at age 91, his family announced in a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[33839,6974,26762,33841,33843,33838,33840,3887,5,33836,5326,41,33837,33842,4538,91],"class_list":["post-37888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-germany","tag-age","tag-benjamin","tag-cape-town","tag-composer-abdullah-ibrahim","tag-composition","tag-dollar-brand","tag-duke-ellington","tag-family","tag-germany","tag-ibrahim","tag-jazz","tag-music","tag-musician","tag-piano","tag-south-africa","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}