Pianist-composer Abdullah Ibrahim joins OHAM’s collection of major figures in American music
The library’s growing Oral History of American Music (OHAM) collection has added an audio interview with the internationally acclaimed musician Abdullah Ibrahim. OHAM’s core unit, Major Figures in American Music Collection, comprises more than 1,700 recorded interviews, from 1970 to the present day, with noted composers and musicians.
Ibrahim, born in Cape Town, South Africa, is a world-renowned pianist and composer. His wide-ranging body of work includes American jazz, traditional African folk songs, bebop, and the gospel music of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Ibrahim was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2018.
In this interview, Ibrahim is in conversation with composer, percussionist, and recording artist Gregg Bendian. Bendian, host of the podcast “The ProgCast with Gregg Bendian,” has interviewed dozens of visiting artists for OHAM.
While in New Haven, Ibrahim performed with flutist Cleave Guyton and bassist Noah Jackson at the Shubert Theatre, an event co-sponsored by Yale Schwarzman Center.
Listen to the interview with Ibrahim through OHAM’s Aviary platform.
Many of the interviews in the OHAM collection can be streamed online using the Aviary platform. For information on how to access the interviews, view interview tables of contents, or request interview transcripts, select the tab “Accessing OHAM” in the collection guide.
—Deborah Cannarella
Photo by Judy Sirota Rosenthal