Sometimes a musical message is so urgent that questions of recording quality are almost beside the point. Informally recorded in 1969 in a noisy club – Copenhagen’s famous Jazzhus Montmartre – the flavour of this album is ‘documentary’ rather than luxuriantly hi-fidelity, yet the essence of Abdullah Ibrahim’s communication comes through loud and clear. The listener is drawn into the robust rhythms of his solo piano style, as he re-examines the history of jazz from a South African perspective, with echoes of songs of the townships, and vamps that hint of Monk and Duke and much more. African Piano was a highly influential album, and it has lost none of its power.
Tracklist:
A1. Bra Joe From Kilimanjaro (11:23)
A2. Selby That The Eternal Spirit Is The Only Reality (01:55)
A3. The Moon (08:08)
A4. Xaba (00:44)
B1. Sunset In Blue (04:26)
B2. Kippy (05:02)
B3. Jabulani - Easter Joy (02:06)
B4. Tintinyana (04:38)
Format: 12-inch Vinyl LP
Label: ECM Records
Catalog: JAPO 60002
Released: 1973
Genre: Jazz / Free Jazz
