Abdullah Ibrahim: Non-linear Virtuosity

Like his solo concerts, the trio performance was a continuous set of Ibrahim originals (they were not announced, but I counted more than 25 in the 90-minute performance), with the pianist creating tension and release by moving between songs of different rhythms and tempos. The individual tunes are simple (Ibrahim's songs are among the easiest in jazz to hum or whistle), but the stream-of-consciousness flow of any Ibrahim set is an unpredictable and mercurial combination of his mood and his assessment of the audience and the performance space.

Sometimes segues between tunes are abrupt. He cut off "For Coltrane" with a keyboard-spanning tremolo played with the damper pedal down. The next tune emerged from the pastel fog of fading notes. And if a tune strikes him right, he'll repeat it. "Soweto" was played twice. Several times, he simply played a melody and moved on to a new song. Most of the set was taken at the same leisurely tempo; and when the band settled into a piece, Ibrahim's vamps set an easy groove that swept the music along at a relaxed, lilting pace.

As do most sets by Ibrahim, this one began in a hushed, reverent atmosphere, as if he were reluctant to break the silence of a holy place. A simple three-note melody was answered by soft gospel-blues chords, each shaded and weighted differently, with occasional dissonance that hinted at sorrow. Ibrahim slowly picked up the pace, punctuating riffs with chords that were Ellingtonian lush or Monkishly sharp before the first rolling vamp propelled the band into compelling hypnotic playing. These ostinatos are the bedrock over which he plays short motives -- many no more than three or four notes -- that he toys with a few times then discards in favor of another. Sometimes a chromatic, jazzy line or a minor Arabic mode darkens the mood. Ibrahim doesn't develop his solos in the linear way jazz pianists typically do; instead he creates strings of short motivic cells held together by the rolling vamp beneath them. Since his time is flawless and he's a heart-grabbing melodist with a gentle, crystalline touch, the music is both lyrical and forcefully rhythmic.

For all that Ibrahim's piano playing is self-contained, the contributions of McLaurine and Grey were important. A more linear thinker than Ibrahim, McLaurine earned applause for his beautifully focused solos, which he played with clarity and speed and a singing, cello-like tone. In the ensembles, he displayed a telepathic ability to anticipate Ibrahim's melodic and harmonic direction. Grey had the more difficult job, having to play both softly and slowly without loosing the groove. He handled the rhythmic variety of Ibrahim's music easily, often bringing forward rhythms only implied by Ibrahim's writing or soloing.

In years past, Ibrahim could sound morose, even with the usually vibrant Ekaya band. But during the Jordan Hall concert, he played with a new urgency. After years of exile and political activism on behalf of the African National Congress, it's hard not to think that the changed political situation in South Africa also accounts for this change in his playing.

-- Ed Hazell