Senzo
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''Senzo'' is a 2008 solo piano album by
Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934), previously known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...
.


Recording and music

All of the compositions are by Ibrahim, except for "
In a Sentimental Mood "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 percen ...
". "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'". The last of these is a tribute to
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
; "For Coltrane" is a
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
tribute. "The melody near the beginning of 'Dust (Reprise)' evokes
Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...
'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".


Release and reception

The title of the album means "ancestor" in Japanese and Chinese, and is the name of Ibrahim's father. ''Senzo'' was released by
Sunnyside Records Sunnyside Records is an American jazz record company and label initially established by François Zalacain in 1982 to release an album by pianist Harold Danko. Albums by Kirk Lightsey and Lee Konitz soon followed, beginning a sequence of releases ...
on 27 October 2008 in the UK and on 3 March 2009 in the US. The
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
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." The ''
DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...
'' reviewer wrote of the "at once introspective and expansive feel of this breathtaking CD."


Track listing

This listing is from the Sunnyside website. Other sources give a different track order, perhaps from a different release. #"Dust" – 1:05 #"Corridors Radiant" – 1:18 #"Jabulani" – 1:05 #"Dust (Reprise)" – 5:13 #"Nisa" – 6:15 #"'Senzo' – Contours And Time" – 2:29 #"Meditation/Mummy" – 2:17 #"Banyana, Children of Africa" – 0:52 #"Mamma" – 1:05 #"Blue Bolero" – 6:07 #"
In a Sentimental Mood "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 percen ...
" – 3:01 #"Ocean & The River" – 1:23 #"Ocean & The River" – 2:45 #"In the Evening" – 3:06 #"Blues for Bea" – 0:53 #"Prelude 'For Coltrane'" – 0:55 #"Aspen" – 1:13 #"Blues for a Hip King" – 6:03 #"Third Line Samba" – 2:10 #"Tookah" – 1:26 #"Pula" – 1:32 #"For Coltrane" – 5:07


Personnel

*
Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934), previously known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...
– piano


References

{{Authority control 2008 albums Abdullah Ibrahim albums Solo piano jazz albums