Abdullah Ibrahim had a profound effect on my career, says pianist Kyle Shepherd

The Sankayi concert, 20-21 August, 2026, is important for several reasons, one of which, is the fact that it marks the resurgence of live jazz venues around Johannesburg, after the impact of Covid-19 that saw venues close down, and also it pays tribute to a fallen jazz giant.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
Pictures by Lerato Pakade

Jazz audiences that will be fortunate to attend gifted pianist Kyle Shepherd’s show on Thursday and Friday, at Sankayi in Sandton, will encounter special moments of good music, honouring one of the greatest musicians to emerge out of South Africa.

Kyle Shepherd, the talented Cape Town based pianist, whose musical directionhas been pretty much shaped by the late Ibrahim’s music, from a young age, will honour the late giant of jazz, by performing until now unheard of Ibrahim’s compositions. He told CITYLIFE this in an interview this week, ahead of the performance, Thursday and Friday, 20-21 August, 2026.

Ibrahim passed on earlier this year, at the age of 92.

This will be the first tribute concert to the master piano after his death. One can imagine what is going on in the mind of Shepherd, right now, as he prepares for this show of a master jazz artist who had a profound influence on his own career.

Through this tribute concert titled The Kyle Shepherd Xahuri Trio Plays the Music of Abdullah Ibrahim, Shepherd carries the huge responsibility to reinterpret Ibrahim’s music, in of course his own way-the Shepherd’s way, to an audience who most probably will be Ibrahim’s diehard followers.

However, speaking to CITYLIFE/ARTS, the pianist came out as someone ready to interpret the music, paying respect to one of South Africa’s leading global jazz icons.

Speaking to CITYLIFE/ARTS, Shepherd made it clear that he had thought carefully about this show. And since he accepted doing the show, has been studying, actually restudying Ibrahim’s music, as he did his Masters’ Degree thesis reflecting on Ibrahim’s music while at university already. He therefore is not taking for granted, the opportunity to honour someone this way, whose music had a profound effect on his musical direction, including picking the piano as his musical instrument of choice.

“I put a lot of thought about this opportunity to honour and interpret Dr Abdullah Ibrahim’s music at the show. He was not only a musician of stature in South Africa, but globally as well. He was a person who had so much presence and aura that his energy demanded respect.

“I will be approaching his music with that respect, but from an interpretation point of view. Fortunately jazz is a genre that is open to interpretation and improvisation.

“I studied his music. Did a Masters Degree thesis, reflecting on his music. By doing a concert of his music, I studied his pianistic styles.  At the concert I will perform lots of compositions by Dr Ibrahim that either only a few of people would know or completely new to people,”Shepherd said.

The pianist, however indicated that the practice and tradition of paying homage to musical lineages is a long running tradition, particularly in jazz.

“Right now, there is currently a tour by musicians, who are paying tribute to John Coltrane, who would have been 100 years this year, and therefore this is not something new. This is a common practice in jazz lineage especially, he positioned the upcoming show in the context of this long practised tradition in jazz circles. In a way, he is suggesting that it is not misnomer to situate the concert at Sankayi with the frame of that tradition.

In fact Shepherd has a long association with Ibrahim’s music, starting from the time when

He was only 15, when his mother, the musician Michelle Shepherd would take him to Ibrahim’s music school, N7 in Cape Town, on Parliament Street.  Michelle was among a group of musicians who accompanied Ibrahim, including cellist Kutlwano Masote, on a global tour some years back.

But it was at N 7 that the then young Shepherd encounter Ibrahim’s music intimately.

“I was not part of the school, but always hanged around the school with other kids. I also got an opportunity to attend a lot of Dr Ibrahim’s concerts in Cape Town during that time. In fact, Ibrahim’s music had a profound influence on my music, including playing the piano,”he told this publication in an interview this week. This is as he had just flown in the previous day, from Cape Town, where he is based, to prepare for Friday’s show at Sankayi in Sandton.

Shepherd’s music influence besides the profound influence that Ibrahim had on his music, was also influenced by the broad tradition of jazz art in Cape Town, with names such as the late Robbie Jansen, Hilton Schilder, Jonathan Butler, McCoy Mrubata, Mankunu Ngozi and Mark Fransman in mind, among others.

However, Shepherd’s mentors went beyond Cape Town, including the late jazz multi-instrumentalist Zim Ngqawana, who played the role of mentor to the then emerging jazz talent.

The Sankayi concert is important for several reasons, one of which, is the fact that this concert, marks the resurgence of live jazz venues around Johannesburg, after the impact of Covid-19 that saw venues close down, and the fact that it pays tribute to a fallen jazz giant.

This venue  is a necessary addition to other venues that have recently opened in Johannesburg, such as Hugh’s in Braamfontein and Jozi Brewing Company, also in Braamfontein, owned by well-known businessman Rodger Jardine’s family. Not to forget The Forge, also in Braamfontein, which from time to time, hosts live acts, including jazz musicians.  This is in addition of course, to Niki’s Oasis Restaurant in Newtown that has been there and has proved to be resilient. Also in Braamfontein, there is Untitled Basement, in Brixton, there is Breezeblock.

In and around Melville, there is Sixty, and De Pienk Kerk, and in nearby Westdene, there is Afrikan Freedom Station, and all these places, mainly feature jazz among other live acts.

But of course, coming back to Sankayi, it looks like great things are now happening to this venue, starting with this Friday’s concert.

Renowned South African jazz pianist and composer Shepherd willperform a selection of the music of the late jazz legend Abdullah Ibrahim to the Sankayi Jazz Series in a special performance exploring one of the most significant musical legacies in South African jazz.

Shepherd brings more than two decades of studying and engaging with Ibrahim’s music into an intimate Sandton performance — reinterpreted, not replicated, by his newly formed Xahuri Trio.

Joining Shepherd are Benjamin Jephta on bass and Marlon Witbooi on drums, bringing a contemporary voice to Ibrahim’s compositions and the musical ideas that continue to resonate across generations.

For Shepherd, Ibrahim’s music is not simply a repertoire to be performed. His relationship with the pianist and composer’s work spans more than two decades, making this performance a personal and ongoing musical conversation.

Rather than attempting to reproduce Ibrahim’s sound, Shepherd approaches the repertoire as living music — asking what these compositions reveal and make possible in the present.

Ibrahim’s compositions carry an unmistakable sense of place, history and identity. In Shepherd’s hands, they become a starting point for exploration: music rooted in South Africa’s past while remaining open to new interpretation.

The performance also reflects the curatorial approach of the Sankayi Jazz Series: creating intimate encounters between exceptional musicians, important musical traditions and contemporary audiences.

Shepherd has a particular connection to Sankayi. He was the first musician booked for the series, making his return with the Xahuri Trio an important moment in the development of the platform.

Sankayi Jazz Series Curator Alex Hitzeroth says, “When we started the Sankayi Jazz Series, the ambition was to create a space where great musicians could really be heard and where audiences could experience South African jazz up close. Kyle Shepherd was the first musician we booked, so having him return now with this new project feels like a wonderful full-circle moment.”

Hitzeroth adds, “Over the past three months, we’ve seen Sankayi begin to find its audience and build real momentum. We’re excited about creating a lasting home for jazz in Sandton and Johannesburg, and about what this space can become for musicians and for music.”

For fellow musician and Sankayi Jazz Series curator Sisonke Xonti, creating spaces where jazz can be heard and experienced properly is central to the platform’s purpose.

“As a musician myself, I understand how important it is to have spaces where we can really celebrate the music and give it the attention it deserves. Sankayi gives us that space,” says Xonti.

Xonti also points to Sankayi’s new partnership with Standard Bank Joy of Jazz as an opportunity to connect the series to a wider jazz audience and festival platform.

He adds, “When Joy of Jazz called to invite us to become a partnership venue, I was genuinely excited. It creates an opportunity to connect what we’re building here with a festival that has played such an important role in our jazz culture, while opening up even more opportunities for musicians and audiences to connect.”

Sankayi is an official partner venue for the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival. The collaboration includes live performances, exclusive ticket offers and giveaways for guests throughout September, culminating on 24 September, when Sankayi hosts acclaimed French artist Anaïs Rosso for an intimate evening of live jazz.

The partnership forms part of Sankayi’s broader ambition to create a dedicated home for live jazz in Sandton — connecting audiences with established and emerging artists while creating new opportunities for musicians and the wider jazz community

Event details

Event: The Kyle Shepherd Xahuri Trio Plays the Music of Abdullah Ibrahim
Venue: Sankayi Jazz Series
Address: 3 Lower Road, Greenpark Corner, Morningside, Sandton
Dates: 20 & 21 August 2026
Doors: 18:00
Tickets: Quicket