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Ahmad Jamal — Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1963-64
(Jazz Detective, 1964/2022, 2CD)

Ahmad Jamal — Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1965-66
(Jazz Detective, 1966/2022, CD)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-07-22

Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1963-64 Cover artEmerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1965-66 Cover art

Most of the jazz pianists we’ve covered here at Exposé have leaned decidedly toward the avant-garde or jazz-rock sides of jazz. Ahmad Jamal plies different waters, much more placed in the mainstream, but the quality of his taste and performance has earned him a place in the pantheon of piano greats. These two releases are proof positive that superb players could produce exciting music in the 60s even without indulging in the latest fashions. These sets were recorded for a weekly show on KING-FM hosted by Jim Wilke that featured virtually every jazz great of the era playing at the Pioneer Square club called The Penthouse. Many of these recordings have been released on a variety of labels, with sets by John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderly, and many more. (A personal favorite is Samba in Seattle by Bola Sete.) The Penthouse archives consist of well over 300 tapes, so more is sure to come. These Jamal recordings are presented in two double-disk sets, and date from June 20, 1963 (CD1), March 26 and April 2, 1964 (CD2), March 18 and 25, 1965 (CD3), October 28, 1965 (part of CD4), and September 22, 1966 (the rest of CD4). The trio features bassists Richard Evans and Jamil Nasser, and drummers Chuck Lampkin, Frank Grant, and Vernell Fournier at different times. Regardless of who’s playing, the tunes swing hard when the tempo’s quick, and languish lyrically when it slows down. Jamal isn’t known for flashy technique, but these sets are ample evidence that he’s no slouch either, tossing off nimble runs up and down the keyboard from time to time, not indulging in overt displays that get in the way of the melodies. The set lists consist of standards (“Johnny One Note,” “All of You,” “Tangerine,” “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was,” along with several Anthony Newley songs), Jamal originals (“Minor Moods, “Concern” ), and three from bassist Evans (“Minor Adjustment,” “Keep On Keeping On,” and “Bogota”). While most are in the “cool” style that eschewed the extremes of bebop, diversions like the latin groove of “Bogota” are superb as well. The musicians are in tip-top form, and the audience is appreciative. The quality of the recording is excellent, and the crowd noise is minimal except for applause between tunes. You don’t hear Ahmad Jamal’s name mentioned a lot these days, which is a shame, but these four CDs should go a long way towards reminding listeners who he is.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases, 1964 recordings, 1966 recordings

Related artist(s): Ahmad Jamal

More info
http://ahmadjamal.bandcamp.com/album/emerald-city-nights-live-at-the-penthouse-1963-1964

 

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