African Piano [LP]

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 Copenhagens famous Jazzhus Montmartre the flavour of this album is documentary rather than luxuriantly hi-fidelity, yet the essence of Abdullah Ibrahims 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.