Yazeed Kamaldien|Published
A trio of musicians honoured the late jazz legend Abdullah Ibrahim at the Baxter Theatre this weekend, playing his music while “allowing space for improvisation, individual expression and the musical language of a new generation”.
The ‘Kyle Shepherd Xahuri Trio’ performed a selection of Ibrahim’s earlier work and more popular hits at a sold out show on Saturday night. It was the culmination of a concert series that started in Johannesburg.
Pianist Kyle Shepherd led the performance — he also played the saxophone — alongside Benjamin Jephta on bass and Marlon Witbooi on drums.
Celebrated jazz musician Ibrahim passed away on 15 June 2026, aged 91 and is widely considered to have influenced South African jazz music while exporting sounds from the Cape globally.
Shepherd did not want to rush into playing a tribute show for Ibrahim.
“Playing full programmes of other composers is something I never do. This is a special case. I felt I needed to do this to honour Dr Ibrahim’s music. I thought about it for a long time,” he said.
“Should I do it and how would I do it justice? Can you even do it justice? Everything came back to ‘play his music the way it’s supposed to be played’.
“Lineage in jazz has aways been very important. Playing others' work is not unprecedented in the jazz world. But the key is to play it the right way, to understand it. And then you can put your personal experience on it. I wanted to really study the music, honour it and play it the way he intended.”
Shepherd then gathered a trio specifically for this tribute.
“I’ve always loved Dr Ibrahim’s trio playing and his solo piano music. I needed to do this as a trio. I wanted to play with brothers from Cape Town,” he said.
“That was very important to me because there is a lived experience that we know. We grew up in similar family, traditional and cultural circumstances in Cape Town. It felt right to do that.”
Shepherd said he has heard about expectations that he should be the next Ibrahim.
“People seem to be mentioning that but I quickly shut that down. There will only ever be one Abdullah Ibrahim. He was such an original creative. His personality was iconoclastic. He was a maverick. He broke so many barriers and he had ideas that were so original,” said Shepherd.
“His career sits there in the jazz canon globally and in South Africa. He has paved the way. And we now need to navigate paths ourselves.
“I have a career and want to be myself. I am clear that he influences me and there are others too… You have to take all influences and work with your foundation. Never deny your foundation.”
Shepherd has been at his career for the last 20 years. He has performed globally, recorded a number of albums, and written music for theatre, film and television shows.
He met Ibrahim and said his mother Michele Shepherd “performed and toured with Dr Ibrahim” and also taught at his M7 Music School in Cape Town.