Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya: Sotho Blue

"Ekaya, meaning 'home,' was the name of the brightly soulful ensemble introduced by the great South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim on a 1983 album, now out of print. 'Sotho Blue,' due out on Intuition/Sunnyside on Tuesday, features a mellowed-out successor to that group, with different musicians and an air of dignified reflection. Some of Mr. Ibrahim’s songs are arranged as chorales, with hymnal voicings for three saxophones and trombone. Other pieces receive the ministrations of a rhythm section, suggesting late-period Duke Ellington with a languid backbeat. The opener, 'Calypso Minor,' begins with just bass and drums on a stark, nearly plodding groove, before the horns bleat the simplest of melodies, phrasing behind the beat: funk without toil" (Nate Chinen, "Playlist," New York Times, 4/3/11).
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