Dollar Brand is an unconventional player and his freshness of style is well observed in this intriguing solo recital. I must confess that I am not attuned to all this music. Stretches of the record I found tedious and monotonous, but elsewhere there are excellent samples of the pianist at work, alone and letting the music take him.
Brand is not particularly melodic but he does possess great rhythmic drive. His main influences are the sounds of his homeland, but jazz affiliations can be discerned too. His respect for Thelonious Monk is evident on The Dream but he has been left largely untouched by ‘modern’ piano, aside from perhaps a trace of Cecil Taylor.
Certain of these pieces are most attractive, but I am unable to be very specific as there are no dividing bands between tracks and one tune runs into another, making it difficult to know with certainty where a composition begins or ends. While the music script and poem by the composer reproduced on the cover are interesting, it might have been helpful to have been given information about the songs, their origin and the significance of their titles.
What I take to be African Sun is perhaps the outstanding selection – an hypnotic line which Brand fully explores. At one point on the first side the pianist gives an hilarious impression of the sort of accompaniment that once was provided for silent movies. His flute playing, heard in the opening sequence on this side, has merit and conjures up a vision of an untamed African landscape.
A most individual set, African Sketchbook will not appeal to all listeners but it is worth investigating for the more rewarding segments, authored by a true individualist.
Discography
Air; Salaam-Peace-Hamba Kahle; Slave Bell; The Stride; Mamma; Krotoa; Machopi; Tokai (24½ min) – The Dream; The Aloe And The Wildrose (The Aloe And The Wildrose, South Easter, Sadness); Tariq; Nkosi; African Sun; Salaam-Peace-Hamba Kahle (22 min)
Dollar Brand (fit/pno). Berne, Switzerland, 1973.
(Enja ST2026 £2.69)
