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Abdullah Ibrahim ‘Master’

Client: Black Major

Abdullah Ibrahim believes improvisation is central to the very essence of creation. We created an unannounced public performance... and filmed the moment.

Ibrahim himself lived mostly in exile from the early 60’s, in New York and Europe, and is one of very few surviving artists of that era who continues to have a vibrant recording and performing career, well into his eighties.

We were approach by Abdullah’s management agency, Black Major, to produce a short film on the artist at this new stage of his life and career. In addition to being a master musician, Ibrahim is also a martial artist, with a lifelong interest in zen philosophy and a rigorous daily practice of Budō. A personal encounter will leave you in no doubt of his vitality and vibrancy. At an age where many are slowing into the twilight of their life and careers, Abdullah remains extremely focused. The film attempts to capture that brief transcendent moment. “You get into a place where there is no past, and not future. You just deal with this precise moment. And in that precise moment you are actually engaging with your destiny.”