Maraba Blue

South African musician and composer Abdulla Ibrahim was born in Cape Town in 1934. As a young boy he begged American sailors to sell him their latest jazz records. “Music is everywhere in Cape Town”, Ibrahim once said – and as the town at the Cape of Good Hope had always been a place where people from all over the world meet, its music scene was shaped by many different influences. We can hear that in Ibrahim’s jazz music, containing elements of his hometown and his South African origin. That never changed, even when he emigrated to Europe in the 1960’s to escape from the worsening governmental apartheid. He always remained faithful to his ancestry and spread the South African spirit all over the world. “Maraba Blue” is one of Abdullah Ibrahim’s most famous pieces with a calm groove and catchy syncopated melody. You can almost feel the part melancholic/part joyous spirit of South African jazzmen. American composer and arranger James L. Hosay masterfully transfers this unique sound to his transparently orchestrated concert band arrangement. With a brief mid-section in temperamental Latin swing style, Hosay adds his own hallmarks to this great jazz classic.

Serie Sound Classics No. 36