Abdullah Ibrahim

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March 2025
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Jazz is also a music of struggle and emancipation. Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim embodies this: born during apartheid in Cape Town, he carved a challenging path from oppression to light. His stay in Europe and the United States in the 1960s allowed him to refine his art, where improvisation, blues roots, and traditional melodies and rhythms of his home country, notably the infamous townships of Cape Town, mingle.

His musical encounters were essential: Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Don Cherry... all contributed to perfecting his piano style. "Dollar Brand" (his nickname since the late 1950s) cultivates a profound sense of spirituality, as evidenced by the meditative character of his music, a quiet power that commands respect.

Elected President of South Africa in 1994, Nelson Mandela expressed his gratitude to Abdullah Ibrahim by placing him in the same category as a Bach or a Beethoven. In other words, a treasure of jazz, whose presence, journey, and discreet impact honor La Seine Musicale.

Program and cast

Abdullah Ibrahim, piano

La Seine Musicale

La Seine Musicale is a music and performing arts center located on Île Seguin an island on the Seine river between Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres, in the western suburbs of Paris, France.

Adress:  La Seine Musicale, Île Seguin, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France

Auditorium Patrick Devedjian

Nestled like a gem in a case of glass and wood, the Auditorium Patrick Devedjian is the centerpiece of our building. It can accommodate up to 1,150 spectators and is dedicated to acoustic music, featuring the greatest classical ensembles and musicians, foremost among them the resident orchestra: Insula orchestra.

Its appearance is open to interpretation: a bird's nest, a giant liner, "the ball"...

From the outside, its glass facade is protected and powered by a gigantic array of solar panels that moves in synchronization with the sun, overlooking the concrete liner.

From the inside, the 1,150-seat hall awakens our senses. Dedicated to classical music, jazz, and world music concerts, its light blonde wooden ceiling, cardboard tubes, and paper reveal all the secrets of the excellent acoustics of this stage.

 

Its Acoustics

Studied by the Nagata and Jean-Paul Lamoureux firm to ensure the best possible sound reproduction for the audience. All precautions have been taken to guarantee exceptional acoustics with the precision of a musical instrument.

 

Its Design

Modular, its vineyard-style arrangement creates a genuine proximity with the audience surrounding the artists. The interplay of lights, the beauty of materials (wood, mosaics, glass), and the 360° panorama are all designed to match the pleasure of the eyes with that of the ears.

Its design aims to create a sense of visual and acoustic intimacy shared between the audience and the musicians. The atmosphere of the hall is warm, with curved wooden walls and ceiling contributing to the hall’s unique sound identity. Access to the hall is provided on three levels by large suspended walkways offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. These are connected by large staircases forming a continuous promenade around the hall.

Seria muzicală
Laurent Blossier
© La Seine Musicale
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