Ekaya

For this excellent date, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim performs eight of his compositions with a particularly strong group of players: trombonist Robin Eubanks, John Stubblefield on tenor and flute, Horace Alexander Young switching between soprano, alto and piccolo, Howard Johnson on tuba, baritone and trumpet, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Brian Abrahams. But more important than the individual players are the colorful ensembles and the frequently memorable compositions. Highlights include "African River," "Sweet Samba," "Duke 88" and a beautiful version of "The Wedding".

What an odyssee. From West Africa to America to South Africa. The jazz spirit here is so close to the joyful hurly-burly of the pre-bop ensembles, but with a distinctive local tinge of South Africa. The man himself gives plenty of space to his band, so fans of his piano need to look elsewhere if they want undiluted Abdullah Ibrahim.
There's enough sweet lyricism in this album to appeal to romantics, enough feel-good bounce to create a great ambience, and more than enough rootsy friction to ensure that things never get gloopy. No drum solos, overtone blowing, a-tonal excursions or other tricky stuff. Equally at home in a serious jazz collection or a musical magpie's cache.

For this session, recorded only six weeks after Afrika on Steeplechase, South African bassist Johnny Dyani continued the use of a six-or seven-member ensemble and inched closer to the sort of music Abdullah Ibrahim, one of his mentors, was creating at around the same time with his band Ekaya. The edgy roughness and avant-garde affinity shown in his earlier ensembles with John Tchicai and Dudu Pukwana have been replaced by a slightly smoother (though, certainly, still rambunctious) sound and more song-oriented pieces. The band's a strong one, however, the compositions are engaging and the soloing imaginative. A couple of the pieces, including "Song for the Workers," still have the aching, bitter quality of his best work…

Abdullah Ibrahim revisits seven of his old compositions on this release, recorded live in Germany with the 17-piece NDR Big Band under the direction of Dieter Glawischnig. The new arrangements by Steve Gray and Fritz Pauer give Ibrahim's infectious melodies and rolling vamps added power. Even Ibrahim seems excited: between tunes he verbally invites the audience to "come with us" (e.g., "Now come with us to an African Market," "Now come with us, a beautiful African sunset, and soft rain, soft rain, Pule."). "African Market," "Kramat," and "Black and Brown Cherries" are nothing if not danceable, while "Mindif" and the relatively brief "Whoza Mtwana" introduce a more contemplative mood. The charts leave plenty of room for resourceful solos, chiefly by trombonist Joe Gallardo, saxophonist/flutist Fiete Felsch, trumpeters Claus Stötter and Ingold Burkhardt, and of course Ibrahim himself…

At the age of 84, Abdullah Ibrahim (AKA Dollar Brand) is set to release his first new album in four years. Entitled 'The Balance', this project features his long-time septet Ekaya, a line-up that he's been recording with since 1983. In this case, the album was recorded over the course of one day at London's RAK Studios last November. The lush horn lines, lilting melodies, and uplifting chord progressions are characteristic of Abdullah's own particular brand of Township Jazz. This is contrasted with various solo piano improvisations, which epitomise the nostalgic yet hopeful nature of Abdullah's musical spirit. Hence, The Balance.

Abdullah Ibrahim - The Balance (2019) {Gearbox Records GB1554CD}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 229 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 98 Mb
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© 2019 Gearbox Records | GB1554CD
Jazz / Post Bop / Contemporary Jazz / Cape Jazz / Piano

Abdullah Ibrahim's discography goes back sixty years, and although there are longer periods between his releases than there used to be, Ibrahim has retained all his grit and jubilance. The pianist and composer continues to make gloriously uplifting music steeped in its South African roots, in a style which still carries echoes of his formative overseas influences, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.

Taken from his summer 2023 sold-out headline date at London's Barbican Centre, the new album "3" follows suit and is spread across two performances - the first is recorded without an audience recorded ahead of the concert straight to analogue on a 1" Scully tape machine, which had previously been used by Elvis at the famous Memphis-based Sun Studios. The second recording is taken from the evening's performance itself with Ibrahim performing in a unique trio which includes Cleave Guyton (flute, piccolo, saxophone) who has performed alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Joe Henderson, as well as lauded bassist and cellist Noah Jackson, both of which are members of Ekaya and featured on Ibrahim's top 3 Billboard Jazz album "The Balance".