Search - Abdullah Ibrahim :: Celebration

A pretty good compilation

S. Hawkins | New York, NY | 06/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I suppose starting off pointing out that making a 1-CD compilation of Abdullah Ibrahim is a daunting task, given that his recording career as a solo artist dates back to 1963, and he's been a prolific recorder.



That said, this album is mostly successful, but with some glaring problems.



Opening with Ntsikana's Bell was a nice move, highlighting the collaborative albums between Abdullah Ibrahim and Johnny Dyani, some of his more difficult, yet absolutely brilliant, work. Beyond that, the album is a nice mix of his trio and Ekaya work. I would have liked a little more from his South African recordings (mid-1970s) and some of his more challenging, risk-taking late-60s recordings. But still, an overall good mix.



The problems arise in 3 tracks. First, using "Mannenberg Revisited" was a mistake. While Ekaya does a good job at performing the piece (using the solos of the original recording transcribed), one can't help but wonder why they didn't just use the original recording. Abdullah sounds better on it, and the solo of Basil Coetzee is brilliant in its original form (after all, he is called "Basil 'Mannenberg' Coetzee for a reason).



Secondly, using Mindif from the African Suite album - a trio with string orchestra - is slightly suspect. That's a personal quibble, as I think his two albums with orchestras are very weak moments in his recording career (though I'll grant some people like them).



However, the somewhat egregious decision was to include the Calypso Minor remix on this album. While I'll grant that it's certainly one of the better remixes on "Re:brahim" (an album you should avoid), it's still not particularly interesting or worthwhile. Why they chose to mar an otherwise good-to-very good album with this closing track is beyond me.



Nevertheless, this is a well-made, if problematic, compilation. It's weakest moments, sadly, are the closing few tracks. However, leading up to them is a nice tour of his recording career and musical journey."