Abdullah Ibrahim’s 17-Minute Duet Remains a Jazz Anchor

Abdullah Ibrahim, the South African jazz pianist who died in June at age 91, left a 17-minute musical composition that resists standard category labels. The track, titled “Namhanje (Today),” appears as the opening piece on his 1979 album “Echoes from Africa.” It features a duet with bassist Johnny Dyani and runs for approximately 17 minutes.

Ibrahim, born Adolph Johannes Brand in Cape Town, performed for the first decade of his career under the name Dollar Brand. He adopted his current name in 1968 following his conversion to Islam. Nelson Mandela once referred to him as the “South African Mozart.” His career spanned three continents, multiple musical genres, and more than 70 albums released over six decades.

Under the apartheid system, Ibrahim was classified as “Coloured,” a designation that placed him in a legally inferior status compared to Black South Africans. His 1974 composition “Mannenberg” became an unofficial anthem for the anti-apartheid movement. The title referenced Manenberg, a township for Coloured citizens established by the apartheid regime. Regime leaders viewed jazz as inherently political, a suspicion that led Ibrahim to spend roughly three decades in exile in Europe and the United States.

During his time in exile, Ibrahim performed in a nightclub in Zurich where Duke Ellington heard him play. Ellington subsequently secured a recording contract for Ibrahim with Reprise Records. The track in question, however, was released later on the Enja label as part of “Echoes from Africa.”

The composition is based on a traditional South African folk song. It begins with Dyani intoning words in Zulu. The source describes this opening as more than reciting but less than singing. At the 49-second mark, Ibrahim emits a soft, sharp vocalization before the instrumental playing begins.

Ibrahim’s piano part features repeated rolling chords in the left hand, accompanied by single-note accents and intricate right-hand melodies. Dyani’s bass provides a steady, continuous pulse throughout the duration of the track. The musical structure creates a drone-like effect, comparable to Pharoah Sanders’s “Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt,” with whom Ibrahim also performed.

Both musicians engage in vocal elements at various points in the track. These vocals function as chanting or incantation rather than discrete words, prioritizing expressivity over literal meaning. The piano notes in Ibrahim’s right hand become increasingly dissonant as the piece progresses, anchored by the stability of his left hand and Dyani’s bass line.

Dyani’s vocal delivery shifts from incantation to exhortation before the duo returns to their initial vocal pattern. The piece concludes by dissolving rather than ending with a definitive cadence. The track has been a favorite of radio host Eric Jackson on the program “Eric in the Evening” when it aired on WGBH-FM.

The composition remains available as the first track on the 1979 Enja album “Echoes from Africa.” It stands as a distinct example of Ibrahim’s late-career work, characterized by its length, collaborative structure, and blend of jazz and world music elements.