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Track List: Listen

Green Kalahari - 2:36
Song for Sathima - 6:41
Mandela - 7:04
District Six - 10:28
Bombella - 6:09
Meditation - Joan Capetown Flower - 10:08
I Mean You / For Monk - 14:05
For Lawrence Brown - 2:56
Excursions - 7:37
African River - 6:46

Musicians:
Abdullah Ibrahim - piano
WDR Big Band - Orchestra

The source of the giant, South African-born pianist/composer Abdullah Ibrahim’s genius is his orchestral piano style, derived from the ducal sound of his mentor/discoverer, Duke Ellington. So it’s only fitting that Bombella, Ibrahim’s follow-up to his 2008 Sunnyside/ Intuition debut, Senzo, showcases Ibrahim’s powerful pianism with the world-acclaimed WDR Big Band Cologne, recorded live in March/April of 2008 in Germany, performing a well programmed potpourri of selections from the leader’s dancing and diverse catalog.
Of the nearly four dozen titles under his own name, Abdullah Ibrahim’s most accomplished recordings include: African Piano (1969, JAPO/ECM), African Sketchbook (1973, Enja), Good News From Africa and Echoes From Africa (with Johnny Dyani, 1973, 1979, Enja); At Montreux, (1980, Enja), Zimbabwe (1983 (2003,Enja/Justin Time) and Senzo, (2008, Sunnyside/Intuition).
With Bombella, Abdullah Ibrahim continues to give the world his singular and sensuous and swinging art that sings and swings from the Motherland to Birdland.

Reviews:

Great review from Scott Verrastro in the June 2010 issue of JazzTimes.

Scott Verrastro, JazzTimes - June 2010 read the full article

Nice review from Philip Booth in the July 2010 issue of DownBeat.

Philip Booth, DOWNBEAT - July 2010 read the full article