"The wonderful thing about music is that it's ageless." - AJ

April 17, 2023 10:13 AM

RIP Ahmad Jamal, one of the great creators of American classical music. Perhaps best known perhaps for his album At the Pershing: But Not for Me, especially the track Poinciana. Of the album, it's been written "if you're looking for an argument that pleasurable mainstream art can assume radical status at the same time, Jamal is your guide." An inspiration to so many, including Miles Davis, and a unique voice and vision in this world.
posted by nightcoast (15 comments total)

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I came to know his music a little late, but I started with At the Pershing and eventually went down the rabbit hole. There's a lot there, and most of it is worth going through.
posted by sauril at 10:50 AM on April 17, 2023

Ahmad's Blues.

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posted by misteraitch at 10:54 AM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

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posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:12 AM on April 17, 2023

The Awakening was always my point of reference for AJ. He was an absolute classic.
posted by anhedonic at 11:43 AM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

I didn't think I knew him at first but I grew up with a cover of Ponciana. Going to get into the At the Pershing album.
posted by PussKillian at 11:43 AM on April 17, 2023

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posted by hortense at 11:46 AM on April 17, 2023

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posted by niicholas at 11:53 AM on April 17, 2023

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posted by drowsy at 12:11 PM on April 17, 2023

I saw him in the 70s in Dayton at Gilly's, and when he turned from the baby grand to the Fender Rhodes, facing the audience, his 1000-watt smile lit up the joint. More recently, I was given the 4-CD set Emerald City Nights for Christmas. It is sublime.
posted by kozad at 1:08 PM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

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I became acquainted with him via "Poinciana," but the iconic "Swahililand" sample used in De La Soul's "Stakes is High" feels extra poignant as well right now. (relevant excerpt at around +7:30) A perfect exemplar of an artist who plays "in the pocket."
posted by SoundInhabitant at 1:43 PM on April 17, 2023

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Thanks for posting this.

An article from this February, Downbeat magazine about a recent release called "Emerald City Nights": Ahmad Jamal: Surprise at the Penthouse

>Truth be told, the music on Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse was just as much of a surprise to Ahmad Jamal as to anyone else.

>Although the pianist had performed frequently at the Seattle jazz landmark and was fond of the club’s late owner, Charlie Puzzo, he had no idea that recordings of his early-’60s performances at the Penthouse existed — much less that there were six hours’ worth. “I knew nothing about them except the fact that Puzzo had one of my favorite clubs,” he said, over the phone from his home in the Berkshires. “I worked there for many, many years. And we did broadcasts.
posted by philfromhavelock at 3:54 PM on April 17, 2023

Silly anecdote: my friend SK can be heard on the At The Pershing album. SK, an accomplished jazz pianist himself, was sitting in the front row. Paying more attention to what he was saying to his companion than to the music, when the music stopped for a moment, he mistook it for the end of the tune and started applauding enthusiastically causing him much embarrassment. You can hear it clearly on the record which was played frequently on local radio and he cringed every time he heard it.
posted by charlesminus at 6:20 PM on April 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

He made and played some fine music. He had a delicate touch on the piano. RIP
posted by DJZouke at 5:10 AM on April 18, 2023

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posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 6:26 AM on April 18, 2023

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posted by Smart Dalek at 3:40 AM on April 19, 2023