A 17-Minute 1979 Duet That Outlived Apartheid's Reach

Abdullah Ibrahim, born Adolph Johannes Brand in Cape Town, recorded more than 70 albums across three continents and several genres before dying in June at age 91. His 1974 composition 'Mannenberg' became an unofficial anthem of the anti-apartheid movement. Under South Africa's apartheid system, Ibrahim was classified 'Coloured', a multiracial designation that placed him above Black South Africans in legal standing but still under state control.

Apartheid leaders treated jazz as suspect and political. Ibrahim spent roughly three decades in exile across Europe and America. In Zurich, Duke Ellington heard him play a nightclub set, then secured him a contract with Reprise Records. Ibrahim had been known as Dollar Brand for his first decade of work, changing the name in 1968 after converting to Islam. Nelson Mandela later called him 'the South African Mozart.'

The track 'Namhanje (Today)' runs 17 minutes as the opening cut of the 1979 album 'Echoes from Africa,' issued on Enja. It pairs Ibrahim on piano with bassist Johnny Dyani. The piece draws from a traditional South African folk song. Dyani begins in Zulu, and just under 50 seconds in, Ibrahim enters with a sharp vocal cue before the playing starts.

Ibrahim's left hand rolls repeated chords while his right hand plays single notes and ornamentation. Dyani's bass line holds steady underneath. Both men sing at points, chanting syllables rather than discrete words. Ibrahim's right-hand notes grow dissonant against the fixed bass, Dyani's delivery turns from incantation to declamation, and the two return to the opening words. The track fades rather than resolves.

Ibrahim was born Adolph Johannes Brand. The composition 'Mannenberg' takes its name from a Coloured township created by the apartheid government. The 1979 album 'Echoes from Africa' carries 'Namhanje (Today)' as its first track. The recording aired on GBH's predecessor station WGBH-FM during Eric Jackson's 'Eric in the Evening' program.

Ibrahim recorded 'Echoes from Africa' on the Enja label. Dyani's opening words in Zulu precede the piano entry at just under 50 seconds. The album came out in 1979, and the track runs 17 minutes. Mark Feeney can be reached at mark.feeney@globe.com.