Sweet sounds of home

Sweet sounds of home 

Jazz lovers from all over the world will this week descend on the mother city to partake in the annual Cape Town International Jazz festival for a 16^th year running. We at Blaque think it might be timely to ponder and highlight some of the jazz tributes musicians have created in honour of Africa’s southern-most city. These are great albums, mostly by the city’s greatest composer, Abdullah Ibrahim. The music has not only shaped what the musicians think of the city and the people who live in it, but these are records that have shaped how many South African’s remember themselves, their pain and their joy.

1. Abdullah Ibrahim’s Mannenberg (Is Where It’s Happening).

The album was recorded and released in 1974 by the cape born pianist, who was at the time still using his pre-Muslim name Dollar Brand. It was dedicated to not only the Cape Coloured Township that gave the album its name. Mannenberg became an unofficial anthem of the anti-apartheid movement. Other musicians included Paul Michael on bass, Basil Coetzee on tenor saxophone and flute, Robbie Jansen on alto saxophone and flute along with Monty Weber on drums.

2. Kyle Shepherd Trio’s Portrait Of Home

The album was recorded in 2012 by the Cape Town born, award winning pianist and his long standing Trio. It’s made up of a 10 tracks that also include a piece titled Die Ghoema which is a modern reworking of a hybrid traditional music idiom indigenous to the cape in a modern jazz style and sensibility.  The trio includes bassist Shane Cooper and Jono Sweetman on drums.

3. Abdullah Ibrahim, Cape Town Flower

In this simply titled album, Ibrahim works with a trio format with George Gray on drums and Marcus McLaurine on bass. The music on the album is noticeablly concise and swift. However, that very brevity is exactly what makes the record a modern gem. It may even be read as a reflection on Ibrahim’s often short stays that were initially interrupted by exile and now by professional concerns of an international career that forces him to be constantly away from his city of birth.

4. Abdullah Ibrahim, Ekapa Lodumo.

This is a celebratory album that sees the grand composer and pianist working with the NDR Bigband. They treat a number of his well known tunes along with some jazz classics by Duke Ellington. It features tunes like Black And Brown Cherries which celebrates the beautiful variety of young women of the city. It is also a play on Ellington’s Black Brown and Beige.

5. Abdullah Ibrahim, Cape Town Revisited

This is a 15 track offering made up of fine retrospective of tunes inspired by the mother city in the wake of apartheid’s end.  Among the well-known tunes from his illustrious career are “African Street Parade” and “District Six Carnival.” Here the pianist was reenergised by the meaning of being able to return to a home run by a majority elected government.

By Percy Mabandu