Few artists embody the spirit of South African jazz quite like Abdullah Ibrahim. Born in Cape Town in 1934, his music has long been a vessel for history, resilience, and deep spiritual reflection. Emerging in the 1950s with the pioneering group The Jazz Epistles—which also included Hugh Masekela, Kippie Moeketsi, and Jonas Gwangwa—Ibrahim helped shape a distinctly South African modern jazz sound that blended bebop with township rhythms and African hymnals. Forced into exile during apartheid, Ibr

Get a crash course in South African jazz in just 60 seconds! Our resident South African jazz expert Seton Hawkins sat down to give an intro to the country’s rich musical history ahead of our opening weekend concert, The South African Songbook, Sep 12-14. Take a listen, then grab your tickets: jazz.org/southafrica | Jazz at Lincoln Center

From law to sports to music, history exposes a repeating pattern: ⚖️ In South Carolina, white men became lawyers without a bar exam—until Black people applied. Suddenly, the test appeared. 🗳️ Voting? White immigrants faced no literacy tests, but once Black citizens tried to vote, poll taxes and “grandfather clauses” emerged. 🏀 Sports? Barred for decades, then rules, scholarships, and eligibility shifted when Black athletes dominated. 🎶 Music? Black genius gave birth to jazz, rock, and hip hop