On Abdullah Ibrahim's entrance, a fitting hush fell on Vicar Street. Influenced by Thelonious Monk, collaborating with Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane and launched on the world by Duke Ellington, Ibrahim is little short of a jazz deity.
Clad in black, the trio began a series of sedate melodies, wrapped in a warm cloak of bass chords, emanating from Ibrahim's grand piano. Against soothing lights of amber and red, the unhurried, simple orchestrations tumbled down on a reverential audience.
Caressing the keys with mastery, Ibrahim led a performance that toured through countless compositions, many from Ekapa Lodumo, his recent collection.
The familiar gospel groove of Black And Brown Cherries provided a cosy theme, from which curious dissonances could trickle before it returned to its reassuring rhythm. Such interplay between cyclical stability and tinkling glissando was the heart of the performance.
Adept accompaniment from Belden Bullock's supple double bass and Sipho Kunene's brushed drums allowed the music to drop to a whisper or build to a fleeting holler.
So evocative was the musician's blend of African, American and European styles that, in the melodies, new landscapes were painted with shimmering cymbals or rumbling ivories.
Naturally, Ibrahim never allowed one style, theme or idea to dominate. South African rhythms may form the spine of his compositions, but Ibrahim's self-imposed exile from his homeland, and subsequent nomadic wandering, opened up his music to an array of approaches.
In the buoyant tune of African Market, Cape Town bustle merged with avant-garde melody so seamlessly that only its synthesis remained distinct.
