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A legacy worth saving
Columbia reissues a collection
of recordings from some
of jazz's greatest
Pianist Ahmad Jamal is the most underrated jazz master alive. His touch is superb and his facility seemingly limitless, yet he is not a showoff. He can swing hard, float lightly and groove smoothly, sometimes all within a few bars.
Jamal is a witty improviser and arranger, and his sense of dynamics is unparalleled at the keyboard, in his compositions and among the members of his groups, usually trios. His music breathes rather than pants -- a quality deeply appreciated by Miles Davis, who openly acknowledged Jamal's influence. Too bad Davis didn't pick up on his lifestyle: Jamal doesn't smoke, do drugs or drink, and even owned a no-booze nightclub -- you can guess how long it lasted.
Jamal -- born in Pittsburgh in 1930 -- has been recording for 5 1/2 decades. A string of live albums in the late '50s and early '60s were popular outside of jazz circles. He has somehow remained contemporary through the years without sounding trendy. While his elegant music can function as background for a hip cocktail party, it generously rewards close listening.
A long-overdue collection of Jamal's earliest recordings is the highlight of the most recent batch of reissues from Columbia's Legacy division. His first records -- three 78s recorded in 1951 and '52 for Chicago's Okeh label -- show an already mature stylist working within the format set by the Nat "King" Cole Trio: piano, guitar and bass. (In the years just beyond the scope of this collection, Jamal would establish a new instrumentation -- piano, bass and drums -- that we take for granted today.) Everything else heard here is from a marathon session held in 1955.
Guitarist Ray Crawford is crucial to the trio's sound, whether strumming supportive chords, plucking concise solo lines or tapping out his patented bongo-like percussion on the strings. Bassist Eddie Calhoun is rock solid on the early sessions; by 1955 the great swing bassist Israel Crosby is aboard.
Among the classic sides are "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," "Ahmad's Blues," "A Gal in Calico" and others that were reinterpreted by Davis. "Poinciana," one of Jamal's most enduringly popular numbers, gets its first recording here; in "Pavanne" we hear the seed of John Coltrane's "Impressions"; and the 8 1/2-minute rendition of "Love for Sale" doesn't waste a second.
It's rare that music of such importance is so thoroughly enjoyable, and "The Legendary Okeh & Epic Recordings" is not to be missed.
A quick rundown of other items in this batch of Columbia Legacy reissues:
» Gerry Mulligan, "Jeru" -- The baritone saxophonist weaves his easygoing spell with a rhythm section helmed by pianist Tommy Flanagan. With no other horns in the band, the spotlight is set on Mulligan, and he delivers his best combo effort of the '60s.
» Dexter Gordon, "Manhattan Symphonie" -- On the comeback trail in 1978, the tenor saxophone titan interprets "As Time Goes By" and "Body and Soul," revisits Donald Byrd's "Tanya" and gives us Coltrane's "Moment's Notice." One of the best of his later albums.
» "Bob Brookmeyer & Friends" -- The great arranger, who also plays valve trombone, is joined by some heavy friends: Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton, Ron Carter and Elvin Jones, with Tony Bennett singing Billy Strayhorn's "Daydream." Mellow sophistication.
» Art Blakey, "Drum Suite" -- Three sessions: two lineups of the Jazz Messengers -- one with the great Chicagoans Ira Sullivan and Wilbur Ware on tenor and bass -- as well as drummer Blakey's Percussion Ensemble, with the matchless traps man Jo Jones and Afro-Cuban legends Candido Camero and Sabu Martinez playing congas and bongos, plus Oscar Pettiford on bass and electric cello.
» Horace Silver, "Silver's Blue" -- From the early days of the great pianistcomposer's quintet, this atypically features a few standards besides Silver's always compelling original tunes. Joe Gordon plays trumpet and the immortal Kenny Clarke, drums, for two tracks; otherwise it's Donald Byrd and Art Taylor. Hank Mobley is on tenor and Doug Watkins, bass. The leader's funky piano stylings carry the day.
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