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It was the perfect August night - warm, with a slight breeze caressing the soft sounds of the city. And at the Lincoln Center's Damnrosch Park Bandshell, pianist Abdullah "Dollar Brand" Ibrahim quietly played jazz that transcended the car alarms, the dull roar of planes overhead and the honks of yellow taxicabs. It was music rich in history, beauty, emotion and above all, faith. It was quintessential Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, unassumingly dressed in a plain black shirt and loose pants, performed a nonstop, 60-minute set accompanied by bass and drums to an entranced audience of nearly 500 people. Known all over the world as the "dean of South African jazz," Ibrahim played songs from his latest album, Cape Town Revisited (Enja Records) as well as songs from earlier albums, all the while addressing his heritage and Islamic beliefs through the power of his music.
A jazz artist for nearly 40 years, Ibrahim is part of a long line of jazz musicians drawn by Islam to express their faith through music. Born Adolphe Brand in Cape Town in 1934, Ibrahim was nicknamed Dollar Brand because he haunted the docks of Cape Town, South Africa, to buy records from American seaman. He grew up on the gospel of his grandmother's African Methodist Episcopal Church, as well as on the music of Duke Ellington and Theolonious Monk.
At the time, Cape Town's seaport was a virtual melting pot of African tribal music, American pop and jazz, carnival and street tunes and the music of the local Muslim, Indian and Chinese communities. Ibrahim soaked up the musical mélange and began composing dance music, which led to more serious pieces as he fell under the influences of Jazz Royalty: Ellington, Monk and Dizzy Gillespie, to name a few. Ibrahim's defining musical moment came in a meeting with Ellington in 1962, after which he recorded an album under Ellington's label.
His defining religious moment was yet to come.
Ibrahim moved to the United States after his hopes of playing African "big band" music in South Africa were dashed by Apartheid. He moved deeper into the jazz circles of Monk and Ellington, through which he learned of Islam. Inspired by the poetic teachings of the religion, Ibrahim reverted to Islam in 1968 and began to draw on his faith to guide his musical growth.
"Many times I would hear a sound and suddenly it would dawn on me that this was the same pattern being used in a different culture," Ibrahim says in his biography, Circling the Mountain. "At a very early age Allah blessed me to recognize the universality of music."
Ibrahim's religious convictions, coupled with his commitment to his homeland and infinite creative musical wisdom, has landed him praise from jazz aficionados around the world. Lars Rasmussen, who published a discography of Ibrahim's work in 1998, says his story revolves around one thing: "His laser-beam like focus on the positive prospects for helping to cultivate the absolute sanest self-realization for Africa and Africans … is a product of his unalloyed faith, God-gifted inspiration and his rootedness in the eternal-internal Africa.".
Ibrahim has spent much of his time fighting for South Africa's freedom and praising his faith through the platform of music. In Fred Bouchard's Africa: Tears and Laughter, Ibrahim says, "I am not a musician. I am being played [by Allah].".
In saying so, Ibrahim echoed Ellington, who once asked himself, "Besides God, what sustains you?" Ellington then answered himself, saying "Not besides. How does one manage without God?".
Time and again Ibrahim has touted this very belief, reaching for his faith as a source of inspiration. Along with traditional jazz music, Ibrahim has composed special pieces, like "Zikr," and "Imam," that explore his love of Islam.
At Ibrahim's Lincoln Center concert in New York City, the acclaimed pianist spoke nary a word, yet his beliefs and passions emerged strong and clear through his masterful piano playing. He sat ramrod straight on his bench, his back turned towards the audience as to partially hide his face while the force of his music flowed from his slender fingers.
One particular riff, about 30 minutes into his set, especially captured the delight of the audience. He moved effortlessly from a staccato to largesso tempo, playing syncopated chords that jarred his left hand against his right hand in understated movements. A slight nodding of his head betrayed Ibrahim's own preference for this piece.
At the end of his set, Ibrahim was greeted with a standing ovation. He acknowledged his bassist and drummer, encouraging them to step forward and share in the applause. When he came forward, Ibrahim simply placed his palms together, smiled serenely bowed to the audience and quickly left the stage.
Once Stephen Calhoun, Webmaster of Ibrahim's Mantra Modes web site, asked the pianist if he ever grew nervous before a performance. Ibrahim answered, "Afraid? Always. I never know what message I will be asked to deliver [through my music]." |
