Abdullah Ibrahim - Ekaya (Home) (Ekapa, 1983)

This post is by Dan

Abdullah Ibrahim (p); Carlos Ward (as, fl); Ricky Ford (ts); Charles Davis (bs); Dick Griffin (tb); Cecil McBee (b); Ben Riley (d)

Recorded November 17, 1983

Originally known as Dollar Brand, Adullah Ibrahim has had a long career playing jazz with a South African flavor. His group Ekaya consists of septets that play his compositions. Some are played by South Africans, but his recordings with American musicians receive the greatest attention. Many Ekaya recordings cover the same songs, but I never tire of hearing them. 

This version of Ekaya includes mostly Americans, excepting the leader and Carlos Ward, who is from Panama. It's an amazing group boasting tremendous horns and rhythm. It remains my favorite Abdullah Ibrahim recording, although I admire about 20 others. Water from an Ancient Well (Ekapa, 1985) is just as fine as Ekaya and will be covered in a future post, as will a quartet album, Zimbabwe (Enja, 1983). 

The key soloist on Ekaya is Ward on alto and flute. He and Ibrahim enjoy a special partnership and take one of the tracks " Ntyilo, Ntyilo," as a duet. They also play as a duo on a live recording, Live at Sweet Basil (Ekapa, 1993). Ward is equally fine on both alto and flute and seems to understand the spirit of the leader's compositions, which derive from the cultural and political landscape of South Africa. 

Given the history of that country, and its apartheid policies, one might expect this music to express anger and resentment. Not so. Ibrahim's portraits of "home" reflect life in song, sometimes driven by a repetitive township shuffle, as on "Ekaya" and "Ek se ou Windhoek to nou." On other songs, the emphasis is on simple folk melodies and intriguing arrangements for the horns. Judging from Ibrahim's portrait on "Cape Town," it appears to be a peaceful and hopeful city. 

To quote from Thomas Rome's liner notes: "This wonderful album represents all that is beautiful and lasting about this sometimes haunting, sometimes frolicsome music from the troubled land of apartheid."

The recording is first rate. It's a pre-digital Rudy Van Gelder production that sounds warm and detailed. That's a plus, given the nuances of the 4-horn line up. Ibrahim's music deserves no less than the best from producers and recording engineers.