Four Classic Albums (Chamber Music Of The New Jazz / Ahmad Jamal Trio / Count 'EM 88 / Listen To The Ahmad Jamal Quintet)

Born in Pittsburgh in 1930 Ahmad Jamal started playing piano at 3 years old and turned professional at 14! His early influences include Earl Hines, Erroll Garner and Mary Lou Williams and he had the distinction of being spotted as a "coming great" by none other than Art Tatum. He discovered Islam in his 20s and in 1950 Fred Jones became Ahmad Jamal as he took the Muslim faith. Jamal started his recording career for Okeh in 1951 as The Three Strings who would later be known as The Ahmad Jamal Trio, although Jamal himself disliked the term trio. In 1957 Vernell Fournier joined the trio on drums and significantly changed the sound of the band that was heard in 1958 at the famed Pershing hotel in Chicago. The first volume would go on to spend 108 weeks on the charts! The financial success of the Pershing recordings allowed Jamal to open his own restaurant and club called The Alhambra in Chicago. Ahmad Jamal's unique piano style has often been overlooked in the roll call of great jazz pianists, however his place in "American Classical music" (as he liked to describe jazz) was assured over his long career. Hailed by Miles Davis as his favourite pianist for his use of space and lightness of touch and considered by jazz critic Stanley Crouch as the second most important jazz innovator since 1945 after Charlie Parker, Ahmad Jamal was a true legend of the art of jazz. On this fine second set by the sadly recently deceased Ahmad Jamal, we feature him in both Trio and Quintet formation. Names you will be familiar with are his Trio partners Ray Crawford and Israel Crosby, while Walter Perkins takes Crawford's chair for a stretch on the drums for "Count 'Em 88". For the Quintet outing Ahmad is heard with Crawford, Crosby and old friend Vernell Fournier alongside Joe Kennedy providing the innovative sound of the violin on this treat of an album. Ahmad Jamal's beautiful under-stated piano playing will surely bring a smile to your face. Sit back and pay tribute to the life of a real jazz master.