''Yarona'' is a 1995 jazz album by

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and his group Ekaya, recorded live over two nights at

Sweet Basil Jazz Club Sweet Basil was a jazz club in New York City's Greenwich Village, located at 88 Seventh Avenue South. Founded in 1974 by Sharif Esmat, it was considered among the most prominent New York City jazz clubs of its day. Many jazz albums were recorded l ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. ''Yarona'' was released on the

Enja Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...

label. The album features a trio, including bass player

Marcus McLaurine Marcus McLaurine (born May 7, 1952) is an American jazz bassist, composer, and educator. Biography McLaurine was born on May 7, 1952, in Omaha, Nebraska.

and drummer George Johnson. In Ibrahim's words (quoted in the liner notes, which were written by his son Tsakwe Ibrahim): "As the basic creative format of contemporary urban music and its global expansion from the timeless African fountainhead, the trio concept of piano-bass-drums serves as one of the most viable and essential, indeed, accessible formulae for the pianist/composer." Giving the album a four-star rating,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

notes that Ibrahim's ideas "range from bop, African pop, swing, and even hints of a

Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...

influence. '

Mannenberg "Mannenberg" is a Cape jazz song by South African musician Abdullah Ibrahim, first recorded in 1974. Driven into exile by the apartheid government, Ibrahim had been living in Europe and the United States during the 1960s and '70s, making brief ...

' and 'African Marketplace,' two Ibrahim classics, are given brief but interesting updates. The remainder of the tracks are all excellent and most exceed six minutes long, allowing for the non-hurried development of ideas by this remarkable trio. Highly recommended for both performance and originality.". ''Yarona'' is included on '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' Core Collection list of albums.''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' Core Collection List.
/ref>

Track listing

''All tracks written by Abdullah Ibrahim'' # "Nisa" - 7:29 # "Duke 88" - 6:55 # "Cherry/

" - 3:40 # "African River" - 8:06 # "Tuang Guru" - 8:02 # "Stardance" - 6:36 # "African Marketplace" - 1:03 # "Tintinyana" - 8:28 # "Barakaat" - 5:52

Personnel

* Abdullah Ibrahim –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Marcus McLaurine Marcus McLaurine (born May 7, 1952) is an American jazz bassist, composer, and educator. Biography McLaurine was born on May 7, 1952, in Omaha, Nebraska.

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* George Johnson –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 1995 live albums Abdullah Ibrahim albums