Ahmad Jamal's minimalist style has served him well throughout his career, as he enjoys making frequent sudden detours in the midst of a performance, with his intuitive rhythm section able to adapt on the fly.
His longtime bassist James Cammack and drummer Idris Muhammad are joined by Latin percussionist Manolo Badrena for these 2007 sessions.
The half-dozen originals include the curious "Back to the Island," which blends a calypso air (while interpolating "Ol' Man River" and "Hot House" in his solo) with Latin flavor and even a bit of an Irish jig in spots, along with the dark, exotic "Arabesque," which sounds as if it might have been adapted from an impressionist composer in classical music.
Jamal also works wonders with standards, including a lush, dramatic solo rendition of "The Way You Look Tonight" and a leisurely "It's Magic" that adds a few of his trademark flourishes.
Even though Ahmad Jamal can sometimes rely a bit too heavily on song quotes (his insertion of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" into "Dynamo" comes off a bit ham-handed), jazz piano fans will enjoy this release.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DynamoAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | SwahililandAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | Back to the IslandAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 05:53 | 13 MB | 35 MB |
| 4 | It's MagicSammy Cahn, Jule Styne | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 18 MB |
| 5 | The Way You Look TonightDorothy Fields, Jerome Kern | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 12 MB |
| 6 | ArabesqueAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 07:30 | 17 MB | 36 MB |
| 7 | PapillonAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 06:27 | 14 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | FitnahAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 08:33 | 19 MB | 47 MB |
| 9 | Wild ls The Wind _ Sing | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 09:12 | 21 MB | 51 MB |
| 53 mins | 123 MB | |||||
| 53 mins | 276 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manolo Badrena | Drums, Percussion |
| 2 | Jacques Beneich | Photography |
| 3 | Sammy Cahn | Composer |
| 4 | James Cammack | Bass |
| 5 | Frank Capri | Cover Photo, Photography |
| 6 | Francis Dreyfus | Producer |
| 7 | Dorothy Fields | Composer |
| 8 | Ahmad Jamal | Composer, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 9 | Jerome Kern | Composer |
| 10 | Idris Muhammad | Drums |
| 11 | Paul Orofino | Editing, Mastering, Mixing |
| 12 | Joe Raposo | Composer |
| 13 | Wayne Shorter | Saxophone |
| 14 | Jule Styne | Composer |
| 15 | Ned Washington | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |