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IBRAHIM, ABDULLAH (1934– ). Born in South Africa, Ibrahim used the name Dollar Brand while making a name for himself as a pianist in the 1950s. Ibrahim relocated to Zurich, Switzerland, where he had a momentous encounter with pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington. Ellington landed a record contract for Ibrahim that resulted in several albums. Ibrahim moved to New York in the mid-1960s and continued his career primarily as a leader of his own groups in addition to a brief tour with Elvin Jones. Ibrahim always remained vested in music from his native country and moved back to South Africa in 1971. His desire to bring jazz there got him exiled in 1976 when he attempted to start a jazz festival. In the 1980s, Ibrahim formed the group Ekaya and recorded the self-titled album Ekaya (1983, Ekapa). Ibrahim continued to lead his own groups into the 1990s and 2000s, dedicating many works to regions of South Africa.

IMPERIAL. Founded in Los Angeles in 1946, Imperial was a record label that made a few jazz recordings. Despite their limited jazz output, Imperial did still have significant recordings of tenor saxophonist Harold Land and trumpet player Erskine Hawkins.

IMPERIAL ORCHESTRA. Created by Manuel Perez in the early part of the 1900s, the Imperial Orchestra was a dance band located in the New Orleans area. Despite a solid run of almost 12 years, the Imperial Orchestra disbanded in 1912.

IMPROVISATION. A practice of creating music, either by harmonic, melodic, or rhythmic means at the moment it is being performed. Improvisation is a signature attribute of jazz and is at the heart of many of its compositions. Many songs from the jazz repertoire provide the improviser a lead sheet or chart that includes a melody and a set of chord changes. Common practice is that the soloist or improviser performs the melody followed by an improvisation over the chord changes associated with the melody. Especially in small-group performances, much of the material is improvised including interpretations of the melody, accompaniment behind both the melody and the soloist(s), and from the soloist themselves. See also BLOW; CHORD PROGRESSION; COLLECTIVE IMPROVISATION; COMPING; CUTTING CONTEST; EIGHTS; FOURS; SCAT; TWOS.

INCUS. Based in London and founded in 1970 by creative and Free Jazz musicians Tony Oxley, Derek Bailey, and Evan Parker, Incus produced records of creative music for almost three decades. In addition to dates led by the founders of the company, Incus also recorded other English jazz heroes including John Surman. Incus was also responsible for several creative music festivals that included guests Steve Lacy and John Zorn. See also ENGLAND; RECORD LABEL.

INNER CITY. A diverse New York–based jazz record label formed in 1976 that split its effort between reissuing albums from labels from other countries including East Wind and Enja and also making new recordings. The label was shut down in 1980 due to a legal dispute, despite having released a recording that won Record Label of the Year in 1979.

INSIDE. A reference to one’s ability to improvise within the existing harmonic structure of a song. Inside is often considered to be a response to the 1960s movement of playing outside of the given harmony. See also IMPROVISATION; OUTSIDE.

INSTITUTE OF JAZZ STUDIES. An archive housed at the State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, that contains an extensive jazz record and book collection. The collection thrives on donations and inspired an academic jazz journal for many years. The Institute of Jazz Studies was founded in 1952 by Marshall Stearns.

INSTITUT FÜR JAZZFORSCHUNG. Formed in 1969 and housed in Graz, Austria, the Institut für Jazzforschung was created as a research institute to be paired with the University in Graz. The institute inspired research in many different jazz-related fields and leads conventions and also an academic journal, both inspired by jazz studies.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JAZZ RECORD COLLECTORS (IAJRC). A group of jazz recording enthusiasts. The IAJRC meets with the intention of exchanging rare or unpublished recordings. To help promote both the group and many of the recordings that the group discovered, the IAJRC created a record label with the same name to distribute many of these recordings. Included in these recordings are previously unreleased works by Miles Davis and Stan Getz. The IAJRC was founded in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in the mid-1960s and continues to meet regularly. See also EUROPE; RECORD LABEL.

INTERNATIONALE GESELLSCHAFT FÜR JAZZFORSCHUNG. Also known as the International Society for Jazz Research, the Internationale Gesellschaft für Jazzforschung was founded along with the Institut für Jazzforschung in Graz, Austria. This group meets several times a year and has published the jazz magazine Jazzforschung since the group’s inception in 1969. See also EUROPE.

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FEDERATION (IJF). Officially named the International Jazz Federation in 1977, this group had earlier been known as the European Jazz Federation during its beginnings in the 1960s. After being recognized by the International Music Council, the International Jazz Federation created offices in several major international cities including London, Warsaw, and eventually New York. Several country-specific jazz groups were formed from their ties with the International Jazz Federation including groups in Paris and Israel. Several periodicals were published by the International Jazz Federation during its existence.

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ JAMBOREE FESTIVAL. Founded by the Polska Federacja Jazzowa in the late 1950s, the International Jazz Jamboree Festival (also known as just the Jazz Jamboree) is one of the world’s longest-running jazz festivals. Located in Warsaw, Poland, the festival began as a four-day event but has since expanded to over a week. Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie are among the jazz legends who have performed at the Jazz Jamboree over the half century of its existence. See also EUROPE.

INTERNATIONAL NEW JAZZ FESTIVAL MOERS. Inspired by Free Jazz and creative music, Burkhard Hennen founded the International New Jazz Festival Moers in Moers, Germany. Over the next two decades the festival continued to draw consistently larger crowds growing to over 40,000 in the late 1990s. In 1974, three years after the festival began, Hennen spearheaded the creation of a record label, Moers Music, to document many of the performances from the festival. Despite substantial growth of the festival over several decades, the festival was hit with economic problems during the late part of the 2000s and had to shorten its duration to three days. Notable artists to perform at the festival include Albert Mangelsdorff and Anthony Braxton. See also JAZZ FESTIVAL.

INTERNATIONAL SWEETHEARTS OF RHYTHM. A 17-piece big band comprised of all women, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm was founded in the late 1930s and was in existence for an entire decade. The majority of their work came from touring and performing on radio broadcasts during World War II. International Sweethearts of Rhythm (1946, Rosetta) was one of the few recordings made by the group. Notable members include Viola Burnside, Ernestine Davis, and vocalist Anna Mae Winburn.

INTRODUCTION (INTRO). A term used to designate the opening material of a piece that prepares the listener for the primary melodic material of the work. Intros are commonly used for many jazz standards and songs from the Great American Songbook.

IRAKERE. Founded in 1973 by several budding Cuban jazz stars, Irakere instantly became a leading Afro-Cuban Jazz group. Original members include pianist Chucho Valdés, clarinetist and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, and trumpet player Arturo Sandoval. A performance at the 1978 Newport Jazz Festival gained Irakere a following in the United States and a record deal with the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) that spawned one of their first albums Irakere (1979, CBS). D’Rivera and Sandoval both left in the 1980s, but Valdés maintained the group during the next two decades. The group was very influential and innovative toward the development of the fusion of modern, post-Bop jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms. In addition to touring, the group continued to record new material throughout the next two decades. See also CLARINET; ORQUESTA CUBANA DE MÚSICA MODERNA; PIANO; SAXOPHONE.

IRWIN, DENNIS (1951–2008). Born in Alabama, Irwin began his musical career at the age of nine when he took up the clarinet. He continued his clarinet studies throughout high school and attended North Texas State University to study music. After one year, he was convinced by others he should take up playing double bass. Irwin began gigging steadily in Texas over the next few years working primarily with many vocalists including Ann Hampton Calloway and Mose Allison. After moving to New York in the mid-1970s, Irwin developed a strong reputation and was a first-call bass player for groups led by Art Blakey, the Mel Lewis Orchestra, Stan Getz, and Chet Baker. Irwin maintained a steady professional working relationship with Joe Lovano and John Scofield that began in the 1970s when he hosted jam sessions at his loft in New York. Irwin recorded and toured with both musicians until his death.

ISRAELS, CHUCK (1936– ). Born into a musical family, Israels learned several instruments growing up, including cello and guitar, before settling on bass. After spending a year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying engineering, Israels transferred to Brandeis University to study music. He soon made connections in New York and was actively performing with many groups. Toward the end of the 1950s, Israels was hired by many leading musicians including John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor. After the death of Scott LaFaro in 1961, Bill Evans hired Israels for the bass chair in his trio. Israels stayed with Evans for five years. In the 1970s, Israels started the National Jazz Ensemble which was in existence for almost five years and was dedicated to performing music of jazz masters that included Jelly Roll Morton and Duke Ellington. The National Jazz Ensemble recorded one album, National Jazz Ensemble (1996, Chiaroscuro). Israels became less active as a performer over the next two decades and became a faculty member at Western Washington University.

ISSUE NUMBER. An identification system used by recording companies to label discs in the companies’ catalog of records. An issue number was also used by other record companies that sold or reviewed records. The issue number contained information regarding what style of disc was made (long-play, extended-play, etc.). The issue number was made extinct with the creation of tape recordings. See also RECORD LABEL.