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The late-life performances of pianist Abdullah Ibrahim are a singular blend of career retrospective, meditation and in-the-moment jazz. Key influences are noted, South African roots are referenced, and the enduring power of the human spirit made clear. Experienced live, the unhurried pace of the music and his firm pianist’s touch conjure a devotional air.
His latest album 3, a trio, captures that reverential mood with a digital recording of last July’s London Barbican summer jazz series concert. Flautist Cleave Guyton is much to the fore, bassist Noah Jackson is a tower of strength and two extended piano solos confirm Ibrahim’s sense of purpose.
The recording opens with Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” and John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”; flute and double bass dominate the former, the second is a standalone feature for double bass. American influences noted — Ellington was a mentor, Coltrane a close friend — the pianist takes centre stage with the first of two 15-minute solo ruminations that flow in a leisurely way from theme to theme and subtly change mood.
Elsewhere, gospel roots surface on “Water From an Ancient Well”, European echoes infuse “The Wedding”, and “Dreamtime” is a sparse dialogue between left hand and right. Ibrahim plays only a scattering of notes on some tracks, but with Guyton an able flautist and bassist Jackson a commanding presence, the music maintains grip. The concert ends with an unaccompanied vocal from Ibrahim. Themed on escape from slavery, it loses none of its impact here.
A second set, recorded reel-to-reel before the concert began, briefly reprises six originals. “Krotoa” was originally released on the 1969 album African Sketchbook, when Ibrahim had just changed his name from Dollar Brand and had briefly returned to South Africa after fleeing the country’s apartheid regime in 1962. Less angular than the original, it presents Ibrahim alone. The stately opener “Barakat” (“The Blessing”) comes with cello accompaniment and vibrato-laden flute; the bucolic “Mindif”, repeated as an encore live, resonates with Bach and the blues.
Overall, the warmer sound of reel-to-reel delivers melodic focus and sharper lines, but it is the concert’s extended piano solos that capture Ibrahim at his best.
★★★☆☆
‘3’ is released by Gearbox Records
