On Pittsburgh, an ambitious tribute to his late mother and his hometown, Ahmad Jamal enlists the help of Chicago-based arranger Richard Evans -- a more familiar presence in soul-jazz's '60s heyday than in 1989, alas -- to decorate five of his compositions and Jimmy Heath's "Mellowdrama," while soloing alone on two others.
While Jamal can summon forth all of the bravura resources of his piano technique on pieces like "Foolish Ways" and "Divertimento," he often chooses economy instead, relying on the trademark ostinatos of his rhythm section (James Cammack on bass; David Bowler on drums) for momentum.
Evans' orchestrations, always elegant and lean, fit like gloves onto Jamal's compositions, enhancing rather than intruding, often following the contours of the melodic lines.
This CD has captured both the character and the shaping hand of Jamal and the distinct sound of Evans, and they are a perfect match in this at-times-exquisite piece of work.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PittsburghAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 07:03 | 16 MB | 43 MB |
| 2 | BellowsAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 08:50 | 20 MB | 42 MB |
| 3 | MellowdramaJimmy Heath | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 06:36 | 15 MB | 38 MB |
| 4 | Foolish WaysAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 12 MB |
| 5 | DivertimentoAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 05:16 | 12 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | CyclesAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 08:08 | 18 MB | 46 MB |
| 7 | Fly AwayAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 07:24 | 16 MB | 40 MB |
| 8 | Apple AvenueAhmad Jamal | Ahmad Jamal | Play | 05:32 | 12 MB | 20 MB |
| 52 mins | 120 MB | |||||
| 52 mins | 272 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Armstrong | Assistant Engineer |
| 2 | Bob Bennett | Audio Engineer |
| 3 | Bob Bennett | Engineer, Mixing |
| 4 | David Bowler | Drums |
| 5 | James Cammack | Bass |
| 6 | Tunc Erim | Executive Producer |
| 7 | Richard Evans | Orchestration, Producer |
| 8 | Jimmy Heath | Composer |
| 9 | Ahmad Jamal | Audio Production, Composer, Executive Producer, Liner Notes, Main Personnel, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 10 | Dennis King | Mastering |
| 11 | Scott Papich | Assistant Engineer |
| 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). |