| The Awakening | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Recorded | February 2–3, 1970 | |||
| Genre | Cool jazz, post-bop | |||
| Length | 40:34 | |||
| Label | Impulse! | |||
| Producer | Ed Michel | |||
| Ahmad Jamal chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Awakening is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in 1970 for the Impulse! label. [1]
The album was recorded at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City on February 2 and 3, 1970. [2] It was produced by Ed Michel, whose production credits also include jazz and blues artists such as John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, John Coltrane, and Alice Coltrane. [3] The liner notes were written by jazz historian Leonard Feather. [4]
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "By 1970, pianist Ahmad Jamal's style had changed a bit since the 1950s, becoming denser and more adventurous while still retaining his musical identity... Intriguing performances showing that Ahmad Jamal was continuing to evolve". [2]
Writing in Pitchfork , Michael J. Agovino writes that the album "is a fine example of Jamal’s stately—and understated—elegance punctuated with doodles of whimsy". [5]
Retrospectively, the album has had an influence in Hip hop music culture and production, with artists such as Nas and Common sampling tracks from the album for their work. [6] [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Pitchfork | (8.0/10) [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [8] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [9] |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [10] | 187 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [11] | 42 |
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