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Muslim Names in Jazz

compiled by Michael Fitzgerald
June 15, 1999-August 17, 2005

Thanks to contributors:

David Badagnani, Luca Conti, Basirah Dean, Bill Gallagher, Joe Germuska, Eric Goldberg, Daoud A. Haroon, John Hasselback, Brandon Himmel, Leon Kerkstra, Mike Khoury, Marla Kleman, Andrew P. Lewis, Henry Loess, Rene McLean, Susan Rahim, Michael Royal, George Scala, Alan Sukoenig, Dennis Whitling, Jack Woker, François Ziegler, Mike Zimbouski

Muslim Name Birth Name Instrument
Emmanuel Abdul-Rahim Juan Amalbert per
Ahmed Abdullah Leroy Bland tpt
Nassar Abeday Jon Mabry b
Idris Ackamoor Bruce Baker as
Dawoud Abdus Sabur Adeyola David Lewis b
Kamau Adilifu Charles Sullivan tpt
Pheeroan AkLaff Paul Maddox d
Kaeef Ali Bob Crowley, Jr.  
Kasa Mu-Bara Allah ?? p
Akbar Ali ?? vln
Amin Ali ?? eb
Hasaan Ibn Ali William Henry Langford, Jr. p
Luqman Ali Edward Skinner d
Muhammad Ali Raymond Patterson d
Rashied Ali Robert Patterson d
Kamal Abdul Alim ?? tpt
Saeed Amir ?? p
Abdul Baari Wendell Harrison ts
Rashid Bakr ?? d
(Imamu) Amiri Baraka LeRoi Jones poet
Nasir Barakaat Fred Lacey g
Jamil Bashir Jaki Byard p
Zahir Batin Michael Sheppard per
Hassan El Benna Horace Stamps p
Abdullah Ibn Buhaina Art Blakey d
Aliyah Rabia Dawud Dakota Staton voc
(Alhajj) Talib Ahmed Dawud Alfonso Barrymore tpt
Mustapha Daleel Oliver Mesheux tpt
Khadijah Davis Rosemary Davis voc
Basirah Dean Bonnie Carol Brown p
Kalaparusha Ahra Difda Maurice McIntyre ts
Hamid Drake Hank Drake d
Ayon Falu ?? d
Shamek Farrah ?? as
Muneer Abdul Fataah Bernard Fennell cll
Hotep Idris Galeta Cecil Bernard p
Shafi Hadi Curtis Porter as
Nasir Hafiz Abe Woodley vbs
Hasin Hakim Alfonso King tb
Sadik Hakim Argonne Thornton p
Umar Hakim ?? d
Abdul Hamid McKinley Dorham tpt
Luqman Hamza Larry Cummings voc, p
Daoud A. Haroun John Mancebo Lewis tb
Abdul-Khaliq Hassan Ray Mills eb
Ali Hassan ?? tb
Bahir Hassan ?? d
Zain El Hussaini ?? ??
Abdullah Ibrahim Adolph "Dollar" Brand p
Ibrahim Ibn Ismail Walter Bishop, Jr. p
Ahmad Jamal Fritz Jones p
Khan Jamal Warren Cheeseboro vib
Hakim Jami Finroy Hayes b
Hassan Jenkins ?? eb
Musa Kaleem Orlando Wright ts
Arleem Kareem Pinky Williams ts
Shafeek Kareen Skippy Williams ts
Muhammad Al Amien Abdul Kariem Rene McLean ww
Omar Ahmed Abdul Kariem Jackie McLean as
Musheed Karween Rudy Powell as
Abdullah Khalid ?? tpt
Talib Qadir Kibwe ?? as
Yusef Lateef William Evans ts
Hanifan Mageed Charles Greenlee tb
Khalil Madi Charles Mascudi d
Nur Mahmud Bill "Baggy" Grantd
Hernitan Maseed Charles Greenlee tb
Masujaa Hugh Riley g
Tarek Ta'us Abdul Matin ?? b
Khalid Moss ?? p
Idris Muhammad Leo Morris d
Qaadir Almubeen Muhammad Ben Dixon d
Abu Muslim Peyton Crossley d
Gonga Mussa Orlando Wright ts
Damu Mustafa Abdul Musawwir James Blood Ulmer g
Jamil Nasser George Joyner b
Abdul Nur Ron (Rahn) Burton p
Nadi Qamar Spaulding Givens p, per
Basheer Qusim George General "Gigi" Gryce as
Emmanuel K. Rahim Juan Amalbert per
Hakim Rahim ?? as
Mustafa Abdul Rahim Donald Strickland bcl, ts
Al Rahman Doug Carn key
Kahlil Rahman ?? vib
Mustafa Abdul Rahman Donald Strickland bcl, ts
Ron Rahsaan ?? d
El Hajj Abdullah Rasheed Lynn Hope ts
Haleen Rasheed Howard Bowe tb
Sulayman Rasheed Howard Bowe tb
Khaliq Abdul Al Rouf Edgar Drew p
Jalal Rushdan Sonny Phillips p, org
Abdu Saboor ?? per
Rasul Sadik ?? tpt
Mohammed Sadiq ??
Abdul Salaam William "Chiefie" Scott tpt
Liaquat Ali Salaam Kenny Clarke d
Mashujaa Aliye Salamu Hugh Riley g
Ahmad Khatab Salim Albert Atkinson arr
Rashied Salim William Brister vib, per
Yusef Salim ?? p
Sulaimon Saud McCoy Tyner p
Majid Shabazz Benjamin McGriff d
Sadiq Shabazz Steve Berrios d
Tarik Shah ?? b
Jaribu Shahid Glenn Henderson b
Sadiq Abdu Shahid ?? d
Hassan Shakur J.J. Wiggins b
Sahib Shihab Edmund Gregory bar
Rashied Sinan ?? d
Idrees Sulieman Leonard Graham tpt
Jamil Sulieman George Joyner b
Luquman Abdul Syeed Steve Davis b
Jamaaladeen Tacuma Rudy McDaniel eb
Abu Talib Freddy Robinson g
Abdul Khabir Wadud Ronald DeVaughn cll
Nasheet Waits - d
Abdu Wali ?? g
Khalid Yasin Larry Young org
Kahil'El Zabar Clifton Blackburn d, per
Kiane Zawadi Bernard McKinney eup

Notes

The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (1996) corrigenda p. xxxii says: “Abdul-Malik, Ahmed [Tim, Jonathan; not Gill, Sam]” However, Ed Berger, who knew Ahmed Abdul-Malik says, “He was neither Sam Gill nor Jonathan Tim; he was Ahmed Abdul-Malik! Grove was wrong – twice. His father was Sudanese.” In this regard, he really doesn’t belong on this list at all. And now, there is more dispute! According to research by Robin D.G. Kelley, Abdul-Malik’s father may have been not Sudanese, but West Indian! Watch this space.

The bassist “Knobby Totah” is more correctly named Nabil Totah, born in Ramallah, Palestine (Transjordan), April 5, 1930.

Contrary to Burns, bassist Ali Mohammed-Jackson is NOT bassist Alvin Jackson (brother of Milt Jackson). This information courtesy of Dan Morgenstern.

Jaribu Shahid says that it was an error on Sun Ra’s part for him to be listed as Ben rather than Glenn Henderson.

While some musicians have Muslim-derived names – Aminata Moseka (Abbey Lincoln), or Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Dawoud Adeyola believes that they were/are not practicing Muslims. Adeyola also points out that some younger musicians may have been born with Muslim names.

Sources

  1. Abdul-Rahim, Emmanuel, personal correspondence, August 1999.
  2. Berger, Ed, personal correspondence, June 1999.
  3. Burns, Jim, “Turning East,” Jazz Journal, March 1969, pp.2-4.
  4. Cuscuna, Michael & Michel Ruppli, The Blue Note Label, New York, Greenwood Press, 1988.
  5. Dawud, Idris, personal correspondence, January 2001.
  6. Dean, Basirah, personal correspondence, July 1999, March 2003.
  7. Gerard, Charles D., “Spirit, Soul and New Religions,” Brooklyn, 1995.
  8. Gitler, Ira, notes to Charles Mingus: The Complete Debut Recordings, Fantasy 4402-2, 1990, p. 23.
  9. Haroon, Daoud A., personal correspondence, July 2005.
  10. Harrison, Bob, letter, Jazz Journal, May 1969, pp. 40-41.
  11. Hughes, Phil, letter, Jazz Journal, June 1969, pp. 22-23.
  12. Kernfeld, Barry, New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, New York, St. Martin’s Press, 1996.
  13. McLean, Rene, personal correspondence, October 2003.
  14. Morgenstern, Dan, personal conversation, July 1997.
  15. Owens, Frank, “Rudy Powell,” Jazz Journal, June 1970, p. 22.
  16. Royal, Michael, personal correspondence, August 2003
  17. Salemann, Dieter, letter, Jazz Journal, May 1969, p. 39.
  18. Salemann, Dieter, letter, Jazz Journal, September 1969, p. 39.
  19. Shahid, Jaribu, personal correspondence, July 1999.
  20. Wilmer, Valerie, As Serious As Your Life, Da Capo,

I also intend to check further into the following materials:

“Mohammaden Religion Appeals to Many Progressive Jazz Men,” Ebony, 1953.

Cook, Ann, “Moslem Gentlemen,” Jazz-Disco, April 1960.

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