There was no amplification on the stage, Just musician’s instruments. I was advised to be very subtle in shooting this concert, as the sound of the shutter would easily distract the audience and maybe even the musicians,

Paying homage to the greats was how, the trio opened. A heartfelt version of “In a Sentimental Mood was played by bassist/cellist Noah Jackson and reed multiinstrumentalist Cleave Jackson followed by the 1960 Coltrane composition “Giant Steps”.

90 year old Abdullah Ibrahim was assisted to the stage, then played an original ” Nisa”; with delicacy and subtlety demanding the listeners to pay close attention. He spent much of the concert with his arms on his knees, not playing. He was just enjoying his bandmates accompaniments. Much of his playing was done solo, with his bandmates listening closely.

It was a bit disconcerting to not have him and the band playing together during much of the concert. It may have been due to his advancing age. Although, his playing was sparse, it was always masterful demanding the listener’s attention to listen to the sublties. But when they played together, it certainly gelled, Monk’s “Skippy” swung without the prerequisite drums!

Cleave Jackson proved equally adept at piccolo flute, concert flute and clarinet.

There were no spare notes by any members of the band. The virtuosity was within the confines of each composition without going “outside”.

One tune melded into the other, creating everchanging themes, very similar to the Bill Frisell ‘s presentation the evening before,

In the mix were “Water from an Ancient Well” and “Ishmael”, both from Abdullah’s back catalog.

Most South African music that has been played in our concert halls and clubs has been more interactive rhythmic calling the audience to dance or shimmy in the their seats. This presentation was made to be listened closely without any other activity.

Opening for Abdullah Ibrahim was locally based Sandhi Trio. A group fusing West African music with the Carnatic music of South India. Indian violinist Arun Ranamurthy sat and played violin crosslegged on the stage while Yacouba Sissoko played kora stage right and percussionist Tim Kyper played from the left.

The kora and the violin exchanged playing melodies and leads, while the accompanying rhythms were handled by Kyper . His main instrument was an inverted gourd known as a calbash (African origin) which was played with his palm, sticks, wrist or fist to coax various sounds of this seemingly simple instrument. He also enhanced the sound with numerous hand drums and shakers attached to his left leg.

This was an enlightening evening for those who enjoy listening to quiet alternatives to mainstream jazz and 3rd world fusion.

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