African Piano is a solo piano album by Abdullah Ibrahim, recorded in 1969. It was released on LP four years later and was first issued on CD in 1991.

African Piano
Live album by
Released1973
RecordedOctober 1969
VenueJazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen
GenreJazz
LabelJAPO

Recording and music

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The album was recorded in concert at Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen,[1] in October 1969.[2] The eight tracks on the album are all Ibrahim originals and are played as a continuous piece.[3] This was Ibrahim's second solo piano album, after Reflections, from 1965.[1]

Releases

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African Piano was released on LP on 1 March 1973[4] by JAPO Records, part of ECM Records.[1] The first CD release was in 1991, by ECM.[1] The label subsequently reissued it on CD as part of their Re:solutions series.[1] The LP version was issued under the name Dollar Brand; reissues were attributed to Abdullah Ibrahim, after the pianist changed his name.[1]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz    [2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide     [5]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz     [6]

AllMusic summarized that "Ibrahim was still in the process of finding his own sound at the time, although his improvisations (which use repetition and vamps effectively) have their interesting moments."[3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz commented that "the [1991] CD robs the music of some of its full-hearted resonance."[2]

Track listing

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  1. "Bra Joe from Kilimanjaro"
  2. "Selby That the Eternal Spirit Is the Only Reality"
  3. "The Moon"
  4. "Xaba"
  5. "Sunset in Blue"
  6. "Kippy"
  7. "Jabulani – Easter Joy"
  8. "Tintiyana"

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Kelman, John (3 March 2014) "Abdullah Ibrahim: African Piano". AllAboutJazz.
  2. ^ a b c Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1992). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette (1st ed.). Penguin. p. 556. ISBN 0-14-015364-0.
  3. ^ a b c Yanow, Scott "Dollar Brand / Abdullah Ibrahim – African Piano". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  4. ^ "African Piano – Abdullah Ibrahim". ECM Records. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  5. ^ Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 342.
  6. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 435.