Legendary composer Abdullah Ibrahim to celebrate 91st birthday at Jazz at Lincoln Center Oct. 3-4

South African composer and pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, previously known as Dollar Brand, will celebrate his 91st birthday with career-spanning performances at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center on October 3-4.

- By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD

Abdullah Ibrahim at the stage of the University Aula. The concert was part of the Oslo Jazzfestival in Norway and took place on 16. August 2016. (Photo by Tore Sætre is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.)

(Tore Sætre)

The composer, who was central to the development of Cape Jazz, a subgenre of jazz that developed in Cape Town and fuses traditional African rhythms with American jazz improvisation and danceable pop sensibilities, will perform solo, and lead multiple full band incarnations that includes his four horn septet, Ekaya, and feature guest musicians like NEA Jazz Master Terrence Blanchard, saxophonist Kenny Garrett, and bassist Cecil McBee. "I feel blessed," Ibrahim told the New York Amsterdam News in an exclusive interview from Germany, via Zoom.