Abdullah Ibrahim: A Brother With Perfect Timing (DVD)

This is not a biography according to the film maker, but seen rather as the story of the music of Abdullah Ibrahim formally known as Dollar Brand, one of the finest pianists and composers to emerge from South Africa. Formally exiled in New York, the interviews are rich with memories of Cape Town (the source of his music) and the documentary captures a uniquely African Jazz perspective.

A superb film on the life and music of one of South Africa's finest musicians, Abdullah Ibrahim. Following Ibrahim's vivid stories, the film moves between New York and Cape Town, mixing documentary with dramatized episodes. Its form mirrors the non-linear, narrative circular of Ibrahim's musical composition, juxtaposing qualities that seem contradictory but evoke the complexity and diversity of his sources. Conceived in close collaboration with Ibrahim, it throbs with anticipation and skillfully describes provocative cultural history of the Cape, through the eyes of the country's finest musician.