Legendary South African jazz musician Abdullah Ibrahim and his US band Ekaya will once again delight local audiences with performances in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein on the 20th and 22nd of March.
Further exciting news for fans is that Ibrahim will be performing music from soon to be released albums Mukashi (which means “once upon a time” in Japanese) and African Piano (a CD/Vinyl re-release of the original 1968 recording in the Copenhagen Montmartre Jazz Club).
Commenting about his upcoming performances in South Africa, Ibrahim says: “South Africa has the greatest audiences. I have such fond memories of performing there. I remember after one of the shows in Johannesburg, Tamie Mohawk came backstage wanting to know what the title was of the last song we played. We told him it was ‘Kalahari’, to which he responded: ‘No wonder I get thirsty every time you play it’.”
The repertoire will include compositions Matzikama, Peace, Dreamtime, and Krotoa from the new album Mukashi. “I first created this concept of piano, cello and woodwinds, that can be heard on Mukashi, 45 years ago in New York. For me the album is stories from the past; the foundation that shapes our future. Matzikama is the place that gives water – where the Namaqua desert flowers bloom. Peace is the ebb and flow of nature, while Dreamtime is where reality unfolds. Krotoa is the story of a young Khoi girl and her encounter with the settlers in 17th century Cape. It’s a work in three movements for solo piano,” says Ibrahim.
Describing the underlying theme of the upcoming performances, Ibrahim says it has to be “Time” and “The River”, explaining “so designed by the Creator, time is the great liberator”.
Ibrahim’s band Ekaya (meaning homeland or hometown) features dynamic New York based musicians Cleave Guyton (alto sax, flute), Lance Bryant (tenor sax), Marshall McDonald (baritone sax), Andrea Murchison (trombone), Noah Jackson (cello, bass) and Will Terrill (drums).
Described as one of the most gifted jazz musicians in history, Ibrahim (previously known as Dollar Brand) has enjoyed a career that has lasted over half a century. He has collaborated with luminaries such as Max Roach and Don Cherry, and created the soundtracks for many films including the award-winning “No Fear, No Die”.
Concert details:
20 March 2014, at 8pm, at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City, Johannesburg;
22 March 2014, at 8pm, at the Wynand Mouton Theatre, University of Free State, Bloemfontein. Tickets are available from Computicket – www.computicket.com.
The album African Piano will be released in February, followed by Mukashi in March.
Peter Marx
