Music Review: Ahmad Jamal - Blue Moon

Miles Davis once said, “All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal,” which is high praise indeed from the legendary trumpeter. Anyone even remotely familiar with Davis knows that he did not hand out compliments lightly. Ahmad Jamal was born in July 1930, as Frederick Russell Jones, which makes him 81 years young today. One of the greatest things about jazz musicians is they just seem to get better with age, and Jamal is no exception. His new Blue Moon recording is a fine example of this.

Jamal has always worked in the “small combo” format. For Blue Moon, the quartet features Reginald Veal (double bass), Herlin Riley (drums), Manolo Badrena (percussion), and of course the great piano work of Ahmad himself. The approach works perfectly for the type of music he makes, and Blue Moon is a wonderful way of hearing what it is he does best.

The album contains nine tracks, three of which are Jamal originals. They fit in perfectly with the remaining six tunes, which come from the worlds of film, Broadway, and the standards songbook. While I certainly cannot speak for Davis, I interpret what he had to say in regards to Ahmad’s music as being somewhat vast. His piano playing is always uniquely creative, which is most definitely applicable to the trumpet playing of Miles Davis.

Blue Moon opens up with “Autumn Rain,” which is an Ahmad Jamal original. This is an excellent example of what he does best. The mid-tempo track begins with the entire band stating the theme and playing off of it. Then, about half-way through, Ahmad takes a solo which is dazzling in its virtuosity.

From there we proceed to the title track, which has been recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley to Bill Monroe, and many, many others. Jamal’s interpretation of this standard is great - and surprising. Drummer Riley and percussionist Badrena open the tune with some unexpected soloing, which immediately sets the song apart from the “usual” approach.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is a Seattle native who was first published in 1988, in his hometown music magazine, The Rocket. Since then his work has appeared in print and online for numerous sources. He Googles himself so often that his mother told him it would make him go blind.
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