Win a Copy of The Complete Ahmad Jamal Trio Argo Sessions on Mosaic Records!
Miles Davis once said, “All my inspiration today comes from Ahmad Jamal.”
These recordings are the reason why.
Tracing back the influence of pianist Ahmad Jamal through his more than 50 years of performing and recording is like trying to repack the explosive components of a fireworks display after it ignites, flares, expands—and flashes again from every cascading branch. His original concepts about melody, rhythm and dynamics were important precursors to the work of such pianists as Red Garland, McCoy Tyner, and Herbie Hancock. His use of extended vamps, his light touch, and his economy - with a strong devotion to playing the "spaces" - cleared a path for further innovations by Cedar Walton, Gil Evans, McCoy Tyner and many modalists who were listening to what Jamal was doing.
And that's just the piano players. When you factor in such artists as John Coltrane, "Cannonball" Adderley, and Miles Davis - whose fifties bands frequently recorded lesser known standards Jamal played in strikingly similar arrangements—and add up all the generations of musicians exposed to their work, you start to see how the sky fills with flaming, colored light.
His recording as a piano trio leader on Argo, owned by Chicago's Chess recording label, began in 1956. And that's where our new retrospective begins on The Complete Ahmad Jamal Trio Argo Sessions 1956-62. The first definitive collection of his work from this seminal era of his career, it includes all the tunes for which Jamal became renowned, such as "Ahmad's Blues," "Poinciana," "But Not For Me," and "Billy Boy," a song so often re-done in Jamal's style that his version has almost become the new standard.
Plus, there is a delightful bonus of 23 tracks that have never appeared before on record, all approved for release by Ahmad himself and each a revelation. This jam-packed nine-CD package, covering material originally released on 12 LPs, is also a textbook on how to use all the elements of a musical composition not just to entertain, but to invent, beguile, challenge yourself as a musician, and challenge the audience to listen.
Like all Mosaic box sets, the collection comes with a deluxe, full-size booklet. It includes discographical information, an extensive interview with Jamal by Kenny Washington, an essay on the sessions by Washington and many rare contemporary photographs. As for the music, all of Jamal's studio and live recordings on Argo from those years are here. In addition to the previously mentioned 23 bonus recordings - many from live dates - there are 113 other tracks to enjoy. The earliest feature Walter Perkins on drums before Fournier took over; there's a 1959 recording date that adds a 15-piece string section under the direction of Joe Kennedy; and a set one year later featuring Kennedy on violin and Ray Crawford on guitar. But the bulk of these sessions were Jamal, Crosby and Fournier on all those great standards, made even more exceptional by Jamal's knowing treatment of them.
Enter now to win this box set from Mosaic Records!
And to check out more box sets and archival recordings from the Mosaic Records catalog, go to their website.
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One (1) Boxset: The Complete Ahmad Jamal Trio Argo Sessions on Mosaic Records
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Contest ends 2011-11-01