African Marketplace

Abdullah Ibrahim | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 2, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Discovery / Wea
• ASIN: B000003MTL
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,294 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Whoza Mtwana

2. The Homecoming Song

3. The Wedding

4. Moniebah

5. African Marketplace

6. Mamma

7. Anthem For The New Nation

8. Ubu-Suku

Editorial Reviews

Compact disc in jewel case by South African born pianist Abdullah Ibrahim (nee Dollar Brand). This recorded under name Dollar Brand, produced by Abdullah Ibrahim and they are one and same person. 12 members of group. Modern jazz with roots in South Africa, yet players from U.S. and other nations. Previously released 1980 on Elektra 6E-252. This is on Discovery Label. Recorded at Atlantic Studios NYC 1979.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why? Because It's the real deal!, March 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: African Marketplace (Audio CD)

I spent 5 years living, working, and traveling throughout South Africa. My job took me way off the beaten path from dorp to even smaller dorp. This album was in the cassette player of my car...it too was a dub of a dub of a dub.In rotation with Miriam Makeba, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Brenda Fassie, Lucky Dube, ....Dollar Brand and the African Jazz Pioneers offered a more "traditional" alternative to the other more "pop" oriented artists.
You can't imagine the beauty of this music, the rich culture and the beautiful scenery of rural southern africa. Together they evoke the honesty and sincerity of Ibraham's music.
South African music is often slighty off-key,the rythem can be be out of sych.....that's part of the beauty of the material.
Anyone familiar with the culture will recognize how closely this music mirrors the region itself. Years later all I need to do is put this album on, close my eyes, and I'm transported back to the rural reality, beauty, simplicity and complexity of South Africa.
Unless you've lived....understand it....and have a basis for critique....your opinion of "professionalism" matters very little indeed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the most soulful and joyous recordings ever made, October 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: African Marketplace (Audio CD)

I first heard this album on a cassette tape that was a dub of a dub, being played on a tiny tape player--and immediately I recognized that this music was both like nothing I ever heard before and a homecoming all at once. All the sophistication and chops of bebop jazz, with an African beat, and melodies that sound like children's songs. Beautiful choral pieces with fat block church chords; carnival tunes that'll amke you want to move. If I could only have one cd, THIS WOULD BE IT!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic from Beginning to End, June 27, 2000

By 

Steve Leach (Oak Cliff, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: African Marketplace (Audio CD)

There are not too many albums in any genre that paint a consistent picture from the first note to the last. There are even fewer that do this in a hybrid style that is really something new and different. I bless Duke Ellington for bringing Abdullah Ibrahim to our attention, and I thank Mr. Ibrahim for giving us this joyous and colorful recording. The title describes the flavor aptly: the songs are alternately festive and languid, with slightly altered themes recurring throughout. When you play it, don't skip any cuts!