"On this solo piano set, Abdullah Ibrahim pays tributes to some of his musical heroes: Thelonious Monk ("'Round Midnight," "Just You, Just Me," "Blue Monk," and "For Monk"), John Coltrane ("For Coltrane"), and Billy Strayhorn ("A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing"), although surprisingly not Duke Ellington this time. But even on the direct tributes (which are sometimes a bit abstract), Ibrahim sounds very much like himself. The pianist, who also contributed five other colorful originals, displays his South African heritage and his optimistic view of the future in his unique brand of jazz. African Dawn is a fine example of his solo piano talents." (Bron Allmusic).
"This is a rather emotional duet set by pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and bassist Johnny Dyani, two masterful musicians from South Africa. Their often introspective music includes three originals (with one piece dedicated to McCoy Tyner) plus a nearly 17-minute improvisation based on a folk melody that also allows one to hear the voices of the two musicians. This moody music has an almost sacred credibility and is quite personal." (Allmusic)
Opname: 1976
"Having explored various African jazz themes on Knysna Blue in a solo setting, Ibrahim continued in this direction with his group Ekaya. The trio, rounded out by bassist Marcus McLaurine and drummer George Johnson allow the pianist to engross himself in his shifting ideas that range from bop, African pop, swing, and even hints of a Keith Jarrett influence. "Mannenberg" and "African Marketplace," two Ibrahim classics, are given brief but interesting updates. The remainder of the tracks are all excellent and most exceed six minutes long, allowing for the non-hurried development of ideas by this remarkable trio. Highly recommended for both performance and originality." (Allmusic)
"In 1963, singer Sathima Bea Benjamin persuaded Duke Ellington to see her future husband, Abdullah Ibrahim, play in a club in Europe. Ellington was impressed by both of the recent South African émigrés and arranged with Reprise to record them. While Brand's record came out within a year, Benjamin's debut was lost and not heard for decades. As it turned out, engineer Gerhard Lehner had made a second copy and kept it for all of these years, so the initial 1997 release of this important session was possible. Backed by pianist Ibrahim, bassist Johnny Gertze, drummer Makaya Ntshoko, and (on two songs a piece) Duke Ellington or Billy Strayhorn, and occasionally joined by violinist Svend Asmussen (who here plays exclusively pizzicato, as if he were using a high-pitched guitar), Benjamin's voice sounds quite beautiful. She performs two Ellington tunes, Strayhorn's "Your Love Has Faded," and nine standards, with the emphasis on slow ballads. The moody music is often haunting and quite memorable." (Allmusic)
Soundtrack van de film Sen fout la mort (No Fear, No Die) van Claire Denis uit 1990. Het is een verhaal over twee zwarte immigranten.
Ook toen Abdullah Ibrahim nog als Dollar Brand door het leven ging, was hij al een levende legende. De pianist die met zijn door Duke Ellington geïnspireerde unieke stijl een Zuid-Afrikaanse twist in de Noord-Amerikaanse jazz aanbracht. Dit album bevat tracks van een optreden in Kopenhagen in 1965 (met Johnny Gertze op bas en Makaya Ntshoko op drums) en een optreden in Londen in 1966 (solo). Zoals gebruikelijk vooral eigen composities op de setlists maar ook een hommage aan de grote voorganger Duke Ellington. (GR Muziekbank)
Live-opnamen van Abdullah Ibrahim/Dollar Brand en zijn trio, gemaakt in Berlijn en Stuttgart in 1981. 5 van de 9 stukken zijn van Duke Ellington.
In the mid-1960's, Abdullah Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand) was an avant-garde pianist influenced by Thelonious Monk who was not yet displaying much of his South African heritage in his music. This CD reissue is quite valuable for Ibrahim (in a trio with bassist Johnny Gertze and drummer Makaya Ntshoko) performs the intriguing title cut, brief versions of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "Mamma" and a rather hypnotic suite. All of the selections but "Anatomy Of A South African Village" were released for the first time on this 1992 CD, one of the better recordings of the early Abdullah Ibrahim. (Scott Yanow, Allmusic).
"African Sketchbook is a superb example of the kind of solo concerts Abdullah Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand) performed early in his career. They were lengthy, non-stop affairs with pieces strung together end on end, sometimes repeated, sometimes with interpolations from Monk or Ellington, and always supremely creative and moving. The songs tend to have a basis that may strike Western listeners as gospel-related while, in fact, it's gospel that shows these same African roots. Other pieces have tinges of 20th century European classical music and some, like "Sadness," are simply and astoundingly beautiful. The recording quality leaves a little to be desired, but the wonderful music more than makes up for it. Highly recommended, especially for those who came to Ibrahim's music later in his career and who are unfamiliar with his early, arguably more substantial work."(Allmusic).
Opnamen uit 1974, 1976 en 1979. "South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim's (ook bekend als Dollar Brand) effervescent sound is immediately recognizable. It is steeped in the folk traditions of his homeland -- from township folk and A.M.E. gospel to Indian raga -- and is wed to the elegant compositional flair of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk's canny notions of harmony and rhythm, improvisation, and classical technical proficiency. He is the most distinguished -- and prolific -- jazzman in South Africa's history." (Allmusic).
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