Abdullah Ibrahim

About

Also known as Dollar Brand. He became known for compositions that reflected his childhood in multicultural Cape Town.

Before Fame

He was a member of The Jazz Epistles, the first black South African musicians to record a jazz LP.

Trivia

He reacted to the political conditions and apartheid in South Africa with several pieces, including Mannenberg (or Capetown Fringe), which was dubbed the unofficial national anthem of South Africa.

Family Life

He married jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, with whom he had two sons, Tsakwe and New York underground rapper Jean Grae.

Associated With

He idolized Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk.