I became interested in jazz when I was in my teens, and of all the jazz musicians I admired, I was most in love with pianist Ahmad Jamal. One of my earliest jazz purchases was his album Digital Works. I’ve been fortunate enough to hear him live more than once at New Year’s Eve gigs in Washington, D.C.’s Blues Alley, as well as a performance at the Dakota in Minneapolis.
Jamal has been recording since the early 1950s and has continued to record into his 80s, fulfilling the stereotype of the long-lived jazz musician. He’s incredibly prolific, but of all the pieces he’s recorded over the decades, he is best known for his take on “Poinciana.”
What I love best about Jamal’s music is his lush style. I’ve never experienced synesthesia, but I do associate his music with the color green. There is a density to his sound that is unmistakably his own.
You can sample his music on his YouTube channel, on his website, or in this NPR post. Any of the working links on the NPR post are worth your while, but I especially recommend the last one, “Autumn Rain.” I first heard that song on his album Rossiter Road, which was released in 1986. I enjoyed the Rossiter Road version, but I think this more recent recording is better.
If you decide to purchase one of his (many) albums, I recommend you start with Digital Works. It opens with the beloved “Poinciana” and includes marvelous interpretations of “Midnight Sun” (possibly my favorite song on the album), “Footprints,” “Theme From M*A*S*H,” and “Wave.” His only composition on the album, “Biencavo,” is excellent.
Of course, despite the fact that Jamal is considered to be one of the most influential jazz pianists in the history of the genre, if jazz isn’t your thing, you may come away from listening to him in much the same frame of mind as a certain person in my life who accompanied me to the concert at the Dakota. When we left, I asked them what they thought. Their diplomatic reply? “It was jazz.”