Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones; July 2, 1930 – April 16, 2023) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and teacher. For six decades, he was among the most successful leaders of small musical groups in jazz. He was honored as a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master and received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to music history.

Biography

Jamal was born Frederick Russell Jones in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1930. He started playing piano at age three after his uncle Lawrence challenged him to copy what he was playing. Jamal began formal piano lessons at seven with Mary Cardwell Dawson, who he said greatly influenced him. Although Jamal is known for his calm playing style, he had a strong piano technique from a young age and played difficult pieces by Liszt in competitions as early as 11 years old. His connection to Pittsburgh remained important to him, and it was there that he was influenced by jazz musicians like Earl Hines, Billy Strayhorn, Mary Lou Williams, and Erroll Garner. Jamal studied with pianist James Miller and began performing professionally at 14, when pianist Art Tatum called him a "coming great." When asked about his practice habits, Jamal said, "I used to practice with the door open, hoping someone would find me. I didn’t practice for 12 hours daily, but I always thought about music. I think about music all the time."

After graduating from George Westinghouse High School in 1948, Jamal toured with George Hudson's Orchestra. He later joined a group called The Four Strings, which ended when the violinist Joe Kennedy Jr. left. In 1950, Jamal moved to Chicago, where he played sometimes with musicians like Von Freeman and Claude McLin, and performed solo at the Palm Tavern, occasionally with drummer Ike Day.

Born to Baptist parents, Jamal became interested in Islam and Islamic culture in Detroit, where there was a large Muslim community in the 1940s and 1950s. He converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Jamal in 1950. He later told The New York Times that he changed his name to "re-establish my original name." After converting, he said he prayed five times daily in Arabic, following Muslim traditions.

Jamal made his first records in 1951 for the Okeh label with a group called The Three Strings, which later became known as the Ahmad Jamal Trio. The group included guitarist Ray Crawford and bassists Eddie Calhoun, Richard Davis, and Israel Crosby. The trio performed at Chicago's Blue Note and gained fame after playing at New York's Embers club, where John Hammond, a record producer who helped artists like Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday, signed them to Okeh Records. Jamal later recorded for Parrot and Epic labels using a piano-guitar-bass lineup. In 1956, he recorded his first album with drummer Walter Perkins, titled Count 'Em 88, which included a popular version of "On Green Dolphin Street."

The trio's sound changed when Crawford was replaced by drummer Vernel Fournier in 1957. The group became the "house trio" at Chicago's Pershing Hotel and released the live album At the Pershing: But Not for Me, which stayed on the Ten Best-selling charts for 108 weeks. A well-known version of the song "Poinciana," first recorded by Jamal, was included on this album.

At the Pershing: But Not for Me, recorded in 1958, brought Jamal unusual popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The album included jazz standards like "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" from the musical Oklahoma! and "Moonlight in Vermont." Jamal's trio, especially its influence on Miles Davis, was recognized as an important part of jazz history. His calm style and use of repeated musical phrases, called vamps, were noted by critics. The New York Times called Jamal "a guide" to showing how mainstream art can be radical.

Jamal gained media attention for his financial decisions. In 1959, he toured North Africa to explore investment opportunities, influenced by his Muslim faith. He said his religion brought him peace about his race and helped his music career grow. After returning to the U.S., the success of Live at the Pershing: But Not for Me allowed Jamal to open a restaurant and club called The Alhambra in Chicago, which closed after one year.

In 1962, Jamal's classic trio made its final recording, Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk. The trio ended when bassist Israel Crosby died in 1962. Jamal recorded Macanudo with a full orchestra later that year and then took a short break from performing.

In 1964, Jamal returned to performing in New York and began a residency at the Village Gate nightclub. He recorded new trio albums with bassist Jamil S. Nasser, starting with Naked City Theme. Jamal and Nasser played together until 1972. He also worked with drummer Vernel Fournier again (1965–1966) and drummer Frank Gant (1966–1977). Until 1970, Jamal played only acoustic piano. His last album with exclusively acoustic piano was The Awakening. In the 1970s, he also played electric piano, including on the instrumental version of "Su

Personal life and death

Jamal married and divorced three times. When he was a teenager, he married Virginia "Maryam" Wilkins; they had one daughter, who died before him. During the early 1960s, he married Sharifah Frazier; they had one daughter together and divorced in 1982. In 1982, he married his manager, Laura Hess-Hay. They divorced two years later, but she continued to represent him for the rest of his life.

On April 16, 2023, Jamal died from complications from prostate cancer at home in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts. He was 92 years old.

Style and influence

Ahmad Jamal is one of the most respected jazz piano musicians. He plays only what is needed and nothing more. Every part of his music is carefully chosen and perfectly placed.

Jamal was trained in both traditional jazz, which he called "American classical music," and European classical music. Over his long career, he was recognized as one of the most important innovators in jazz. He began his career during a time when fast, complex playing was highly valued. However, Jamal helped create a new style later called "cool jazz," which aimed to bring classical music influences into jazz. He focused on the spaces between notes in his music, rather than the fast, energetic style of bebop.

Because of his unique style, some critics dismissed Jamal as a "cocktail pianist," believing his music lacked serious artistic value. However, Stanley Crouch, author of Considering Genius, argued that Jamal was a true innovator, second only to Charlie Parker in importance after 1945. Jamal's music used orchestral effects and his control of rhythm to create a new sound for the piano trio. Crouch wrote that Jamal's use of space and changes in rhythm and tempo allowed him to create a group sound similar to a big band. Jamal focused on the texture of musical phrases, riffs, and timbres rather than the speed of notes. A. B. Spellman of the National Endowment of the Arts said Jamal used space and tension and release in his music better than anyone except Thelonious Monk. Jamal's techniques influenced later jazz musicians, including Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Monty Alexander, Fred Hersch, Bill Charlap, Vijay Iyer, and Ethan Iverson.

Although some critics and historians overlooked Jamal, he had a major influence on Miles Davis. Davis praised Jamal's rhythmic sense and his "concept of space, his lightness of touch, his understatement." Davis sent his musicians to listen to Jamal's performances to learn how to play in the style he preferred. Jamal's use of contrasts, such as combining strong and soft tones or fast and slow rhythms, impressed Davis. Jamal said Davis admired his "discipline" rather than his use of space. Jamal and Davis became friends in the 1950s, and Davis continued to support Jamal by playing versions of his songs, such as "Ahmad's Blues" and "New Rhumba," until Davis's death in 1991. Bill Evans, another pianist, said he enjoyed Jamal's music and rejected the "cocktail pianist" criticism, calling Jamal's work "a real thing."

Jamal once said he enjoyed playing ballads because they are difficult to perform well. He believed it takes many years of experience to interpret them properly. From a young age, Jamal appreciated the lyrics of songs. He once asked saxophonist Ben Webster why he stopped playing a ballad, and Webster said he had forgotten the lyrics. Jamal credited his diverse musical style to growing up during three major eras: the big band era, the bebop years, and the electronic age. He said his music evolved by drawing from the techniques and styles of these periods. In 1985, Jamal performed on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz show, where he played an improvised version of "But Not For Me" after noting that he had made most of his songs his own. He was criticized for not playing his own compositions after the success of his Live at the Pershing album.

In his later years, Jamal incorporated electronic influences into his music. He sometimes expanded his trio to include a tenor saxophonist (George Coleman) and a violin. A 2010 Down Beat magazine interview described Jamal's later work as "more aggressive and improvisational," though not necessarily "avant-garde." Saxophonist Ted Nash described Jamal's piano style as unique, noting that Jamal's chord progressions and single-line responses made musicians rethink their playing.

Jamal recorded with the Howard A. Roberts Chorale on The Bright, the Blue and the Beautiful and Cry Young; with vibraphonist Gary Burton on In Concert; with brass, reeds, and strings celebrating Pittsburgh; with The Assai Quartet; and with George Coleman on The Essence Part One.

Awards and honors

• 1959: Entertainment Award, Pittsburgh Junior Chamber of Commerce Players
• 1980: Distinguished Service Award, City of Washington D.C., Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution
• 1981: Nominated for Best R&B Instrumental Performance ("You're Welcome," "Stop on By"), 24th Annual Grammy Awards
• 1986: Mellon Jazz Festival Salutes Ahmad Jamal, Pittsburgh
• 1987: Honorary Membership, Philippines Jazz Foundation
• 1994: American Jazz Masters award, National Endowment for the Arts
• 2001: Arts & Culture Recognition Award, National Coalition of 100 Black Women
• 2001: Kelly-Strayhorn Gallery of Stars, for Achievements as Pianist and Composer, East Liberty Quarter Chamber of Commerce
• 2003: Inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame, New Jersey Jazz Society
• 2003: Gold Medallion, Steinway & Sons 150 Years Celebration (1853–2003)
• 2007: Living Jazz Legend, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• 2007: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Government of France
• 2011: Down Beat Hall of Fame, 76th Readers Poll
• 2015: Honorary Doctorate of Music, The New England Conservatory
• 2017: Lifetime Achievement Award, 59th Annual Grammy Awards, The Recording Academy
• 2018: International Eddie Rosner Leopolis Jazz Music Award, Leopolis Jazz Fest, Lviv

Discography

• 1967: Standard Eyes (Cadet)
• 1972: Inspiration (Cadet)
• 1974: Re-evaluations: The Impulse! Years (Impulse!)
• 1980: The Best of Ahmad Jamal (20th Century)
• 1998: Cross Country Tour 1958–1961 (GRP Records / Chess)
• 2005: The Legendary Okeh & Epic Recordings (1951–1955) (Columbia Legacy)
• 2007: Complete Live at the Pershing Lounge 1958 (Gambit)
• 2007: Complete Live at the Spotlite Club 1958 (Gambit)
• 2010: The Complete Ahmad Jamal Trio Argo Sessions 1956–62 (Mosaic Records)
• 2014: Complete Live at the Blackhawk (Essential Jazz Classics)
• 2022: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1963–1964 (Jazz Detective)
• 2022: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1965–1966 (Jazz Detective)
• 2023: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1966–1968 (Jazz Detective)

• Some of My Best Friends Are…The Piano Players (Telarc, 1994)
• Featuring Pat Metheny / Gary Burton / The Heath Brothers

• All The Things You Are (Fruit Tree, 1999)
• May the Music Never End (Verve, 2003)