Search - Abdullah Ibrahim, Ndr Big Band :: Ekapa Lodumo

In recent times, the great South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim has been recycling songs from his extensive canon in varied settings and formats: solo, live trio, string orchestra. Here, with mostly good results, he teams with Hamburg's longstanding NDR Big Band, directed by Dieter Glawischnig. At its best, Ekapa Lodumo, which was recorded live, deepens Ibrahim's spare, infectious melodies with dreamy colors and elegant textures that point back to his beloved Duke Ellington. At less than its best, the music is a bit stiff or hard-edged, sacrificing the rhythmic lilt and insinuating soulfulness of the composer's Capetown jazz sound. Most of the arrangements are by Steve Gray, who played piano with Paul McCartney in the '70s before getting his charts played by Count Basie and Thad Jones. Fritz Pauer, an Austrian crony of the late Art Farmer, provided the winning arrangements for "Mindif" and "Black and Brown Cherries." For this listener's money, the best vehicle for Ibrahim (once known as Dollar Brand) remains his little big band, Ekaya. --Lloyd Sachs