NYJO @ Levels: Township Jazz

**Experience the future of UK jazz at NYJO's monthly residency at Peckham Levels.**

Each month will see a one-off collaboration between the NYJO Ensemble and a special guest artist from London jazz and improvised music scene to create a one-off 45-minute set of original music, followed by an open jam session.

Abdullah Ibrahim (formerly known as Dollar Brand) is one of South Africa’s most important jazz musicians, embodying the deep spiritual and political essence of township jazz. Born in 1934 in Cape Town, he grew up surrounded by the rich musical traditions of the city's diverse communities—African choral music, Malay and Indian influences, gospel, and American jazz.

Township jazz, which evolved in South Africa under apartheid, became a unique and powerful genre blending traditional African rhythms, gospel harmonies, and the big-band energy of swing and bebop. It was both acelebration of cultural resilience and a protest against oppression, reflecting the struggles and hopes of Black South Africans. Ibrahim’s early recordings with The Jazz Epistles—a pioneering group that included Hugh Masekela—captured the joyous yet defiant energy of this music.

Presented by Peckham Levels.

This is an 18+ event