Ahmad Jamal was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. For six decades, he was one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. He was a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master and won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy for his contributions to music history.
Vernel Anthony Fournier, known from 1975 as Amir Rushdan, was an American jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Ahmad Jamal from 1956 to 1962.
Poinciana is an album by jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, mostly recorded at the Spotlite Club in Washington, DC in 1958 and originally released in 1963. The title song is probably the 45 rpm studio version.
"I'll Remember April" is a popular song and jazz standard with music written in 1941 by Gene de Paul, and lyrics by Patricia Johnston and Don Raye. It made its debut in the 1942 Abbott and Costello comedy Ride 'Em Cowboy, being sung by Dick Foran. The lyric uses the seasons of the year metaphorically to illustrate the growth and death of a romance. The lyric also uses the ideas of the hours in a day and the flames of a fire to illustrate a relationship growing stronger and subsequently losing strength. Another interpretation is the use of spring to express the loves that were had in youth and remember them when the autumn of life arrives with affection and nostalgia, smiling: "I'll remember April and I smile". The song has been described as one which makes use of nostalgia.
At the Pershing: But Not for Me is a 1958 jazz album by pianist Ahmad Jamal. According to the album jacket, the tapes were made on January 16, 1958, at the Pershing Lounge of Chicago's Pershing Hotel and each set played that night was recorded, a total of 43 tracks, of which 8 were selected by Jamal for the album. The LP was released as Argo Records LP-628. Jamal's previous releases on Argo had been from previously made masters; this was his first release recorded for Argo, and his first album recorded live.
Israel Crosby was an American jazz double-bassist born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. One of the finest to emerge during the 1930s, he was also a member of the Ahmad Jamal trio for most of 1954 to 1962. He is credited with taking one of the first recorded full-length bass solos, on his 1935 recording of "Blues of Israel" with drummer Gene Krupa when he was only 16. Crosby died of a heart attack at age 43, two months after joining the Shearing Quintet.
Jamal at the Penthouse is an album by jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, recorded live at Nola's Penthouse Studio in New York and released by Argo Records in 1959. This album, unlike other Ahmad Jamal albums, features his trio with a 15-piece string section led by conductor Joe Kennedy.
Extensions is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in 1965 and released on the Argo label.
Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk is a live album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in San Francisco in 1962 and released on the Argo label.
Ahmad Jamal's Alhambra is a live album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, featuring performances recorded at Jamal's own club in Chicago in 1961 and released on the Argo label.
All of You is a live album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded at Jamal's own club in Chicago in 1961 and released on the Argo label. On the cover, photographed by Don Bronstein, one of the first staff photographers for Playboy magazine, Jamal sits in an MAA chair, designed by George Nelson.
Listen to the Ahmad Jamal Quintet is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in 1960 and released on the Argo label.
Happy Moods is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in 1960 and released on the Argo label.
Complete Live at the Spotlite Club 1958 is a live album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded at the Spotlight club in Washington D.C. in 1958, some of which were originally released on the albums Ahmad Jamal Trio Volume IV and Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal on the Argo label.
Ahmad Jamal Plays is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in 1955 and originally released on the short-lived Parrot label in 1955. The album was rereleased as Chamber Music of the New Jazz on the Argo label after Chess Records purchased the master tapes in 1956.
The Ahmad Jamal Trio: Volume IV is a 1958 jazz album by pianist Ahmad Jamal. The album was recorded live on location at the Spotlight Club in Washington, DC, on September 6, 1958. The LP was released as Argo Records LP-636. This was Jamal's first recording following his surprise hit record, At the Pershing: But Not for Me.
Complete Live at the Pershing Lounge 1958 is an album by jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. It contains performances recorded at The Pershing Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, in 1958. Some of the performances were released on the albums At the Pershing: But Not for Me and At the Pershing, Vol. 2.
At the Pershing, Vol. 2 is an album by pianist Ahmad Jamal on the Argo label composed of selections from the same January 1958 engagement at the Pershing Lounge of Chicago's Pershing Hotel where the hit album At the Pershing: But Not for Me was recorded.
Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal is a live album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded live on location at the Spotlite Club in Washington, DC on September 5–6, 1958 and released on Argo in 1959. It includes additional selections from the engagement where Ahmad Jamal Trio Volume IV was recorded, and the complete recordings from these shows were released on 2007's Complete Live at the Spotlight Club 1958 on the Gambit label. The original release was a 2-LP set. Pianist Keith Jarrett has said this album changed his life.
The Piano Scene of Ahmad Jamal is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. It contains performances from his earliest recording sessions for Okeh in 1951–52 in Chicago, and an Epic session from October 1955 in New York, NY. It includes additional selections from the sessions where the 1956 album The Ahmad Jamal Trio was recorded. The album was re-released in 2005 with additional tracks.
