Ahmad Jamal is a significant figure in the evolution of jazz, or American classical music as he prefers to call it. But he has never rested on his laurels, always looking forward to the next challenge and diligently working at expanding his art. Blue Moon is one of his finest albums of the last two decades, and that is saying something when measured against some of his award winning work for the Dreyfus label. With the death of Francis Dreyfus in 2010, Jamal has now moved to Harmonia Mundi's Jazz Village label, and this auspicious debut has all the hallmarks of Jamal's quite individual style, which he has revised, polished and expanded since the unexpected success of But Not For Me which stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 108 straight weeks in 1958-9. That record had the effect of popularising the piano trio format in the public's eyes, with record companies jumping on the bandwagon signing the likes of The Three Sounds, Les McCann, Hampton Hawes and Ramsey Lewis. But none had the poise, originality and controlled excitement as Jamal. It's fair to say his career has taken a few turns, but when he returned to active touring and performing in the 1980s, he had developed a bravura style that favoured clever dynamic juxtapositions, the use of more original material, a love of colourful harmony, and a greater willingness to spontaneously re-order form to suit the need of the moment. Needless to say he is a master of less-is-more, and all these characteristics are present in his imaginative reworking of the title track, with its hypnotic bassline. Other highlights include masterful ballad performance of David Raksin's ‘Laura’, a timeless classic if ever there was, and an excellent re-reading of Bronis³aw Kaper's ‘Invitation’. It seems somehow irrelevant to mention Jamal is now in his 82nd year, because these performances shimmer with energy, excitement and drama of someone a quarter his age, who, had they come up with an album like this, would be hailed as a coming great, something Jamal was called at the age of 14 by Art Tatum. What is remarkable is that this is no pale imitation of past glory, but more a celebration of life and all that he has learned in his long career in jazz. Miles Davis, once a dedicated fan, would have loved it.