WMI And BAM Present Jazz Epistles Ft. Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya with Special Guests

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 Jazz Epistles formed when the Dollar Brand Trio from Capetown-which included pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, bassist Johnny Gertze, and drummer Makaya Ntshoko-combined talents with alto saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi, the late great trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and trombonist Jonas Gwangwa. Their first and only album, Jazz Epistle, Verse 1, released in 1959, brought them international acclaim. Following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and the increasing oppression of the apartheid government-including the prohibition of jazz music-band 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 June 2016, Ibrahim and Masekela reunited for two sold-out concerts at the Emperor's Palace in Johannesburg, performing together in South Africa for the first time in over 50 years. These historic performances inspired the duo to embark on a world tour in tribute to the Epistles legacy. The recent passing of Masekela reaffirms the imperative of these concerts as not only cultural celebration, but cultural preservation. Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane (Apr 19) and trumpeter Freddie Hendrix (Apr 18 & 19) join Abdullah Ibrahim and his band Ekaya for this two-night run, which will include new arrangements of The Jazz Epistles' original compositions--including "Blues for Huey," "Scullery Department," and "Dollars Moods"-along with Ibrahim's classic catalogue.

Abdullah Ibrahim, South Africa's most distinguished pianist and jazz pioneer, was born in 1934 in Cape Town. He began piano lessons at the age of seven and made his professional debut at fifteen, playing and later recording with such local groups as the Tuxedo Slickers. He was in the forefront of playing bebop with a Cape Town flavor and in 1958 founded the Dollar Brand Trio. His groundbreaking septet, The Jazz Epistles, formed in 1959-with saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, trombonist Jonas Gwanga, bassist Johnny Gertze, and drummer Makaya Ntshoko-and recorded the first jazz album by South African musicians, Jazz Epistle Verse 1. Ibrahim has been the subject of several documentaries and has also composed scores for film, including the award-winning soundtrack for Claire Denis' Chocolat (1988), as well as for No Fear, No Die (1990) and Idrissa Ouedraogo's Tilai (1990). Ibrahim was also featured in the 2002 documentary Amandla: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony, which depicted the struggle against apartheid. He has toured the world extensively, appearing at major concert halls, clubs and festivals as both a solo artist and with other renowned artists, notably Max Roach, Carlos Ward, and Randy Weston.