Abdullah Ibrahim: An Illustrated Epistle for a Jazz Apostle

This week, we celebrate the Jazz Epistles—South Africa’s near-mythic bebop band—with two electrifying evenings of music co-presented by the World Music Institute. Each night, superstar pianist Abdullah Ibrahim will be joined on stage by his band, Ekaya, and special guests to play in honor of the revolutionary group he helped form, and in memory of the late great trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who recently passed away. 

The Jazz Epistles were South Africa’s first black jazz band, pioneering a new musical form influenced by bebop and traditional South African music. Inspired by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the troupe formed when the Dollar Brand Trio from Cape Town––including pianist Abdullah Ibrahim (“Dollar Brand”), bassist Johnny Gertze, and drummer Makaya Ntshoko––combined talents with alto saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi, the late Masekela, and trombonist Jonas Gwangwa. Their first and only album, 1959's Jazz Epistle, Verse 1 brought them international acclaim. However, following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and the increasing oppression of the apartheid government (which included the prohibition of jazz music), the band was forced to disband as its members emigrated to Europe and North America. Two of them, Ibrahim and Masekela, would go on to become jazz stars in their own right.

In this series of illustrations, artist Nathan Gelgud pays homage to the Jazz Epistles pioneering bebop spirit.

In Context: The Jazz Epistles

Superstar pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, a revered figure in jazz for over six decades, comes to BAM for two nights only to commemorate the short-lived, near-mythical South African group the Jazz Epistles. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #JazzEpistles.

In Context: Real Enemies

Real Enemies, from Darcy James Argue, Isaac Butler, and Peter Nigrini, comes to BAM on November 18. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of articles and videos related to the show. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought below and by posting on social media using #RealEnemies.

In Context: Brad Mehldau

Brad Meldhau comes to BAM on September 9 as part of Nonesuch Records as BAM. Context is everything, so get even closer to the show with this curated selection of articles, interviews, and videos related to the show. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

Jazz at BAM: 1956—1981

In the last Jazz at BAM post, we traced the gradual introduction of the form to Brooklyn audiences. But things picked up speed in the mid-20th century.

Starting in 1956, the series “Jazz at the Academy” finally brought icons of the jazz world to the Opera House stage with Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Stan Kenton, Dizzie Gillespie, and the father of jazz himself, Louis Armstrong. A one-time $15 membership fee guaranteed you a seat for the entire season. Also that year, Jean Murai’s Dance Company featured the West Indian Jazz Orchestra. In 1958, Jazz ’59 trumpeted the future with appearances by Zoot Sims, Marian McPartland, and Mose Allison.

The jazz floodgates opened at BAM in late 1960s with a series produced by Lionel Hampton, sponsored by Schaefer. It featured some of that era's masters: Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Tito Puente, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Lionel Hampton himself, and several R&B performers like the Coasters, Wilson Pickett, Patti LaBelle ("Lady Marmalade"), Irma Franklin ("Piece of My Heart"), and Solomon Burke. “An Evening in Black Gold” with Nina Simone played in April 1968, and later that year, another series, “Jazz/Roch/Bach,” combined genres with themes such as “Handel to Jazz: The Art of Improvisation.”

Jazz at BAM: 1861—1955

Colgate Mandolin Club, 1911. 

Jazz at the Brooklyn Academy of Music? At one time, it was unthinkable. When BAM opened in 1861, there was already controversy over presenting dramatic productions—even Shakespeare—that might even hint at being morally dubious. Since BAM was initially considered a “highbrow” institution, jazz practically had to sneak its way in.

Minstrel shows, once the country's most popular form of entertainment, are often credited as a DNA building block of jazz, and BAM presented a few of them. In 1910, the St. Charles Borromeo Holy Name Society hosted a minstrel show and reception featuring such songs as “When the Bell in the Light House Rings Ding Dong” and “Band! Band! Band!”