Abdullah Ibrahim
Adelaide Town Hall
Adelaide, Australia
2015-03-10

One of the hardest concerts I have ever had to record, the amplification was virtually zero and even though we were only metres away from the artist, there were times when notes barely registered on the record level.

At other times, MR Ibrahim hammered the keyboard, and I was scrambling to change the levels downward, all noises that were picked up by the mics.
:-(
Added to an extremely quiet venue,and quiet music, were creaky uncomfortable chairs and coughers ( fortunately not near us) who emitted noises at regular intervals,normally this would not be an issue,but in this venue,at this low level of amplification- you could hear them faintly.
There were so many noises, loud and quiet,that this has taken about 30 hours to clean up and no less then six different edits.
Its now nice to listen to and the music is GREAT, one stream of love and meditation.
Don't be put off by my screed, I am very picky as long as you don't listen to this on headphones,its a great show.

SP-CMC-25 cards >SP 12 volt BB > sony PCM M10 > 16bit wav > Mac Pro hd > Audition (remove various mic and seat noises, adjust levels and minor EQ >XACT ( LEVEL 8) SBE
Stealth mode about 5 meters back centre front of soundboard
Taped, transferred and mixed by GGB
Don�t sell PLEASE.
Do not distribute for trade in Mp3 format.
Support the artists, buy their albums and their merchandise.

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Presented by Arts Projects Australia - Reviewed 11 March 2015

Although labelled and best known as a jazz pianist, Abdullah Ibrahim is one of those artists who transcend their base genre whilst still remaining true to it.
Cape Town born and bred, Ibrahim started playing in the 50s at the height of the popular jazz movement, and recorded, with the Jazz Epistles, the first South African jazz record.
His work is imbued with the sounds of his Cape childhood, along with the myriad influences on his life and work, over his 82 years.
His concert in Adelaide consisted of two pieces, one nearly an hour long, and one around 15 minutes. This is not easy-listening. Nor is it strictly, hard-core jazz. He took the audience on a remarkable journey of tones, melodies and glimpses of the sounds of other instruments whilst sitting quietly and undramatic at the Steinway: imagine Beethoven being commissioned to write for Bill Evans, and you might get some idea. The playing was flawless, and there were moments that reached the sublime. A standing ovation attested to his genius.
The only sour note (pardon the pun), was the venue. Adelaide Town Hall was a great, acoustic choice for this gig but the uncomfortable chairs made for a difficult time when there were such long stretches of listening. I also found it incredible that the bar wasn�t open. This is a Festival gig, and it had no atmosphere. No feeling of �festival� about it. No programmes, even.
It felt like a lunchtime recital at a conservatorium. I�m surprised there weren�t people there eating lunch out of a paper bag.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten