Ahmad Jamal Trio: Complete Live At The Spotlite Club 1958
Author: Brian Priestley
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Complete 1961 Alhambra Performances
Musicians: |
Ahmad Jamal (p) |
Label: |
Essential Jazz Classics |
Magazine Review Date: |
July/2014 |
Media Format: |
2 CDs |
Catalogue Number: |
EJC55629 |
RecordDate: |
5-22 June 1961 and 30 June 1958 |
Musicians: |
Ahmad Jamal (p) |
Label: |
Phoenix |
Magazine Review Date: |
July/2014 |
Media Format: |
2 CDs |
Catalogue Number: |
131604 |
RecordDate: |
30 June 1958 and 5-6 September 1958 |
Complete 1962 At The Blackhawk
Musicians: |
Ahmad Jamal (p) |
Label: |
Essential Jazz Classics |
Magazine Review Date: |
July/2014 |
Media Format: |
2 CDs |
Catalogue Number: |
EJC55637 |
RecordDate: |
31 January-1 February 1962 |
One of the only things John Hammond and Miles Davis agreed on was that Jamal was marvellous. Forgive me if I disagree, but it takes an awful long time to audition these six CDs. Time that could be spent on other things, like drinking the night away as the audiences in the various venues concerned are clearly doing. A good strategy, when what Jamal is doing is basically to toy with their expectations and challenge them to sing or whistle the bits he tantalisingly leaves out (fortunately, they don't, or at least you don't hear them). Some of his ploys are obviously intended as satirical, but the jokes and the multiple quotes wear thin after a while. Random thoughts on listening to all this: where would Jamal's idiosyncratic development have gone without Crosby and Fournier? And where would Phoenix and EJC have been without Mosaic, whose 2009 set brought to light the 23 unissued tracks included here?

Jazzwise Full Club
- Latest print and digital issues
- Digital archive since 1997
- Download tracks from bonus compilation albums throughout the year
- Reviews Database access
From £9.08 / month
Subscribe
Jazzwise Digital Club
- Latest digital issues
- Digital archive since 1997
- Download tracks from bonus compilation albums during the year
- Reviews Database access