Streams Of Consciousness
This one time meeting of genius with Max Roach and Abdullah Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand) is a breathtaking display of jazz improvisation. Their immense wealth of musical vocabulary and knowledge effortlessly surfaced during this rare 1977 recording.
African Magic
African Magic is a sweeping 24-part suite recorded live at the 11th and final Jazz Across the Border Festival in Germany in 2001 by the Abdullah Ibrahim Trio. Ibrahim’s trio features acoustic bassist Belden Bullock and drummer Sipho Kunene distilling the melodic sounds of South Africa into a personal improvisation of jazz, religious, and traditional […]
Ekapa Lodumo
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 […]
African Symphony
African Symphony continues the German Enja label’s apparent obsession with capturing the great South African pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim in posh settings. Following various big band, string orchestra, and live treatments of his songs, the producers here surround him and his trio (including bassist Marcus McLaurine and drummer George Gray) with the Munich Radio […]
The Very Best of Abdullah Ibrahim
This delightful collection presents a chronological selection of the South African pianist’s live and studio recordings for the Enja label from 1979 to 1997. Consisting entirely of original compositions, the album reveals the bittersweet elegance and irrepressible optimism of a rare musical genius in a profoundly lyrical blend of classic modern jazz with the celebratory […]
Best Of
Township One More Time
African Suite
African Suite presents Abdullah Ibrahim’s regular trio with bassist Belden Bullock and drummer George Gray along with a large string section drawn from the Youth Orchestra of the European Community. Daniel Schnyder crafted the arrangements, which are orchestral reworkings of some of Ibrahim’s compositions roughly spanning a 25-year period. The strings serve to heighten the […]
Africa – Tears And Laughter
Cape Town Flowers
Cape Town Flowers is an enchanting effort from Abdullah Ibrahim, finding the pianist in a trio setting performing 11 original compositions. With the exception of the nine-minute title track and “Monk In Harlem,” most of the album’s songs clock in at under five minutes, many under four. Each of the pieces is understated, lovely, and […]