Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
01.07.14 09:51Reissued: The Piano Scene of Ahmad Jamal | Rhythm Planet
Seite 1 von 3http://blogs.kcrw.com/rhythmplanet/reissued-the-piano-scene-of-ahmad-jamal/
TweetTweet 5 0
The Piano Scene of AhmadJamal
Ahmad Jamal
Home » Artist Spotlight, Audiophiles, Featured, Music History, New Releases
Reissued: The Piano Scene of Ahmad JamalPosted June 30, 2014 by Tom Schnabel | 0 Comments
The German audiophile label Speakers Corner had
just reissued, on LP–in glorious mono too–a classic
album, The Piano Scene of Ahmad Jamal. This LP
was originally issued by Epic Records in 1959. There
may have been a stereo version, but the original
master tape is lost–or worse, it may have been
reprocessed for stereo which is the kiss of death for
any recording. On the contrary, the original mono
recorded sound is impeccable, the pressing is first
rate which is typical for Speakers Corner reissues.
With a Speakers Corner reissue, you do not get
surface noise (no Rice Krispies of snap, crackle,
pop). Click here to read a past post describing the
high quality and craft of a Speakers Corner reissue.
Yet, the best element about this reissue is Ahmad Jamal‘s 1959 performance–it’s brilliant.
The liner notes by Nat Hentoff are delightfully old-school and a little dated. He writes on
Jamal’s adoption of Mohammedanism and how jazz fans didn’t understand it. As far as I
know, this was just one of two recording sessions he did for the Columbia Records subsidiary.
No matter how far you go back in Jamal’s long career, he always was at the top of his game.
Some cynics regarded him as a cocktail pianist, probably because his versions of songs
tended to be short and concise. Miles Davis was always a fan, praising Jamal for his use of
space and his brilliant piano phrasing.
Ahmad Jamal is now 83 years old, looking great
and much younger too. He has recorded two
brilliant new albums for Harmonia Mundi’s Jazz
Village label: Blue Moon and Saturday Morning.
I’ve always loved his work. I wish the Cadet LPs
could be reissued. I have all of them, some of
them purchased as used LPs at Amoeba Music
(Los Angeles’ incredible brick and mortar record
store). Mosaic Records, under the watchful eye
and ears of Michael Cuscuna, has issued the Argo
sides but the excellent Cadet recordings which
followed have yet to see the light of day on CD.
When I was in Tokyo ten years ago, I went to the
Tower and HMV Stores hoping I might find
Japanese reissues. Alas, I did not.
Here is a wonderful video of Jamal I’ve shared in a
past post but it was filmed in 1959: the same year
as the new Speakers Corner reissue. He’s playing the standard, “Darn that Dream” in front of
Tom Schnabel’s Rhythm PlanetRhythm Planet is a blog written by TomSchnabel to bring readers the wealth of storiesand thoughts that abound in his years ofexperience.
Brought To You By:
Top 10 Posts
David Byrne & Barry White: What Cars TheyDrove 4,278 views
Steve Jobs at Home: Only Vinyl, Please 3,852
views
The 3 F's of Portugal: Fado, Futbol, Fatima 640
views
Anne Sexton's Original Poem "45 MercyStreet": The Genesis of Peter Gabriel's"Mercy Street" 578 views
My Issue With Drum Machines 556 views
Show #55: African Sax Kings 555 views
Show #54: Tom's Latest Picks 523 views
Verve: The Sound of America 510 views
Stromae: Belgian Singer Takes Europe byStorm 423 views
Jackie Brenston, Rocket 88, and the Demiseof Oldsmobile 414 views
Categories
Artist Spotlight (315)
Audiophiles (6)
Cape Verde (6)
Featured (193)
Headline (63)
Literature (1)
MBE Archive (12)
Music Evolution (62)
Music History (107)
MUSIC NEWS TALK BLOGS EVENTS FRINGE BENEFITS JOIN US ABOUT
ABOUT RHYTHM PLANET MUSIC SHOW LISTEN ON DEMAND NEW RELEASES ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Search the archive...
24Gefällt mirGefällt mir
01.07.14 09:51Reissued: The Piano Scene of Ahmad Jamal | Rhythm Planet
Seite 2 von 3http://blogs.kcrw.com/rhythmplanet/reissued-the-piano-scene-of-ahmad-jamal/
Superb TuvanThroat Singing froman American inWestern NY
Congolese RumbaClassics Revisited
RIP Maxine Powell:Miss Manners ofMotown Records
Jazz Musicians &Classical Music
a celebrity crowd. Ben Webster, Jo Jones, Nat Hentoff are among the assembled listeners.
The voice introducing him sounds like Edward R. Murrow.
Safari-EnergiesparmodusHier klicken, um das Flash-Plug-In zu starten
You might also like:
Linkwithin
(Visited 36 times, 50 visits today)
Music Phenomena (194)
New Releases (49)
Performances & Events (14)
Recollections (97)
Rediscoveries (30)
Rhythm Planet Music Show (57)
RIP (21)
Uncategorized (21)
ArchivesSelect Month
Recent Comments
Bob Harper on Show #55: African Sax Kings
Mr. B on Show #55: African Sax Kings
tomschnabel on Show #55: African Sax Kings
Bob Harper on Show #55: African Sax Kings
Dr. Vicki Burrichter on Show #54: Tom’sLatest Picks
Blog produced by Mary Falcone
