| Senzo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 27 October 2008 |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Length | 57:19 |
| Label | Sunnyside |
Senzo is a 2008 solo piano album by Abdullah Ibrahim.
| Senzo | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 27 October 2008 |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Length | 57:19 |
| Label | Sunnyside |
Senzo is a 2008 solo piano album by Abdullah Ibrahim.
All of the compositions are by Ibrahim, except for "In a Sentimental Mood". [1] "Ibrahim moves from the discordant, free-sounding improvisation of 'Ocean and the River', and the joyous, township-jive sounds of 'Tookah' and 'Banjana, Children of Africa', to the soulful and meditative 'Blues for a Hip King'". [2] The last of these is a tribute to Duke Ellington; [2] "For Coltrane" is a John Coltrane tribute. [1] "The melody near the beginning of 'Dust (Reprise)' evokes Maynard Ferguson's 'Coconut Champagne' – its descending and syncopated riff [...] But then as the left-hand transitions to a cyclical and gently syncopated pattern over which his right-hand played bursts of notes it settles into a typical South African Marabi sound with overtones of bop". [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| DownBeat |  [1] |
The title of the album means "ancestor" in Japanese and Chinese, and is the name of Ibrahim's father. [1] Senzo was released by Sunnyside Records on 27 October 2008 in the UK and on 3 March 2009 in the US. [3]
The AllMusic reviewer commented that, "There's an ebb and flow to the program that makes you want to listen all the way through, but certain familiar signposts along the way remind you how distinctive and singularly unique Ibrahim's style is." [4] The DownBeat reviewer wrote of the "at once introspective and expansive feel of this breathtaking CD." [1]
This listing is from the Sunnyside website. [5] Other sources give a different track order, perhaps from a different release.
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in European harmony and African rhythmic rituals.
Abdullah Ibrahim is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the AME Church and Ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. Ibrahim is considered the leading figure in the subgenre of Cape jazz. Within jazz, his music particularly reflects the influence of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. He is known especially for "Mannenberg", a jazz piece that became a notable anti-apartheid anthem.
Craig S. Harris is an American jazz trombonist, who started working with Sun Ra in 1976. He also has worked with Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Charlie Haden. He has recorded since 1983 as leader for India Navigation, Soul Note and JMT. For the latter he recorded with two groups. The Tailgater's Tales was a quintet with clarinetist Don Byron, trumpeter Eddie Allen, Anthony Cox on double bass, and Pheeroan akLaff on drums. His large ensemble Cold Sweat was a tribute to the music of James Brown.
"In a Sentimental Mood" is a jazz composition by Duke Ellington. He composed the piece in 1935 and recorded it with his orchestra during the same year. Lyrics were written by Manny Kurtz; Ellington's manager Irving Mills gave himself a percentage of the publishing, so the song was credited to all three. Other popular versions in 1935/36 were by Benny Goodman and by Mills Blue Rhythm Band.
A Monastic Trio is the first solo album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded in 1968 at the John Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, New York, and was released later that year by Impulse! Records. On the album, Coltrane appears on piano and harp, and is joined by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Rashied Ali, all of whom were members of John Coltrane's last quintet. Drummer Ben Riley also appears on one track. The album was reissued on CD in 1998 with three additional tracks, one of which is a piano solo recorded in 1967.
T. K. Blue is an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer and educator from New York City. His parents were Jamaican and Trinidadian, and he has used their Afro-Caribbean musical styles in his own work. He has worked with, among others, Don Cherry, Jayne Cortez, the South African pianist Dollar Brand, and Randy Weston, for whom he was musical director.
Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection.
Jay Leonhart is a double bassist, singer, and songwriter who has worked in jazz and popular music. He has performed with Judy Garland, Bucky Pizzarelli, Carly Simon, Frank Sinatra, and Sting. Leonhart is noted for his clever songwriting, often laced with dry humor. His compositions have been recorded by Blossom Dearie, Lee Konitz, and Gary Burton. His poetry is published both in, and outside of, the venue of song.
Blues for a Hip King is jazz album by South African artist Abdullah Ibrahim, released in 1989. The recordings are from several sessions in 1974, 1976 and 1979.
African Dawn is a solo piano album by Abdullah Ibrahim.
Bernard Atwell McKinney, later Kiane Zawadi is an American jazz trombonist and euphonium player, one of the few jazz soloists on the latter instrument.
Thelonious Himself is a studio album by Thelonious Monk released in 1957 by Riverside Records,. It was Monk's fourth album for the label. The album features Monk playing solo piano, except for the final track, "Monk's Mood", which features John Coltrane on tenor saxophone and Wilbur Ware on bass. It was Monk's second solo piano studio album, and it was the first made by an American label and distributed in the United States.
Benjamin Alexander Riley Jr. was an American jazz drummer known for his work with Thelonious Monk, as well as Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ahmad Jamal, and as a member of the group Sphere. During the 1970s and 1980s he was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet.
After the Morning is a solo piano album by John Hicks. It was recorded in concert at the 1992 Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Ode to Duke Ellington is a solo piano album by Abdullah Ibrahim, recorded in 1973.
African Portraits is a solo piano album by Abdullah Ibrahim. It was recorded in 1973 and released by Sackville Records. Parts of the original release were later issued on compilation albums.
The Song Is My Story is an album by Abdullah Ibrahim. Most of the tracks are solo piano performances recorded in 2014.
Buddy Tate Meets Dollar Brand, reissued as Buddy Tate Meets Abdullah Ibrahim: The Legendary Encounter, is an album by saxophonist Buddy Tate and pianist Dollar Brand which was recorded in New York City in 1977 and released on the Chiaroscuro label.
Mood Indigo is an album by saxophonist Frank Morgan which was recorded in 1989 and released on the Antilles label.
Crescent with Love is an album by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It was recorded in October 1992 at Sear Sound Studio in New York City, and was released by Venus Records in 1993. On the album, Sanders is joined by pianist William Henderson, bassist Charles Fambrough, and drummer Sherman Ferguson.
