The Essence, Vol. 1

Description

When this record came out in 1995, it was an incredible breath of fresh air that filled the lungs of jazz, which had until then been suffocated by young upstarts, or rather young clones, who were competing to see who could best imitate McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, or Herbie Hancock... This album by Ahmad Jamal, a legendary pianist if ever there was one, is perhaps his greatest record of the decade... After two disappointing albums released on Telarc in the early 90s (here and there...), he is now back with a truly exciting project that lives up to his talent. Jamal is rejuvenating himself. Surrounded by a rhythm section he knows very well (his friends James Cammack, Jamil Nasser, and Idris Muhammad are part of the project), and with the exception of Israel Crosby and Vernell Fournier, Jamal has never felt as comfortable as with these three. He also reunites with Manolo Badrena on percussion and George Coleman, a regrettably little-known tenor saxophonist who nonetheless has an impressive resume (from Max Roach to Chet Baker via Miles Davis). Jamal's style is percussive piano, incredible finesse and flexibility of play, an amazing sense of momentum and dynamics. In short, if this pianist is essential, it's also because he's a sacred monster who has a "Sound" all his own, easily identifiable from the very first notes. You won't soon forget him... Personnel: Ahmad Jamal – piano James Cammack – bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 & 8) Jamil Nasser – bass (tracks 3 & 6) Idris Muhammad – drums Manolo Badrena – percussion George Coleman – tenor saxophone (tracks 3 & 6)