“In our tradition, in everybody’s tradition, there’s something called ‘transmission’ — information and knowledge are transmitted for us on another level, not just physically," says Ibrahim. “For me, Ellington was never an African American. He was the old wise man in the village that you went to when you needed problems solved. So Ellington, for me, I feel every time I write something or compose something, when I check, Ellington already has been there. There is no way to escape him.