Ahmad Jamal - Jamal Plays Jamal FLAC

So grateful for Jazz Magazine to have released this on CD (limited as the release is) after 41 long years of hiding behind the $$$ curtain of collectors' market. One of Jamal's finest sessions, with Jamil Nasser on a throbbing bass, Frank Grant on drums, Azzedin Weston on irreplaceable congas, against the backdrop of a stellar orchestration effort by Richard Evans, all while Jamal shifts between a grand Steinway and a Fender Rhodes, owning both - and us - the moment you hit 'play'. You'd think you know where this might be going, but you really don't until the first few bars from 'Eclipse' are behind you.

The writing, the playing, the arranging and the producing are nothing short of superb. Two tracks in particular stood out for me: 'Death and Resurrection" and "Pasteures". Both ooze with emotion and great melodies rendered simultaneously nuanced and dynamic thanks to the seamless interplay between the trio against Evans' horns and strings.

The ten-minute magnum opus 'Swahililand' begins with a sweet three-minute prelude on a tamed Steinway before it takes a wild turn where Jamal's Rhodes and Weston's congas play off each other like a Roland Garros final. A perfect track to wrap this album in grand fashion.

An unjustly unknown recording that I hope will one day get the release it deserves. Till then, I will wear out my limited copy with Jamal's untidy signature on its paper sleeve to the bone.