This week I’ve been listening to… Ahmad Jamal’s 2005 CD, After Fajr.
After Fajr
During a recent trip to the library, while flipping through the CDs, I encountered an old friend, a smiling man with a dove on his shoulder (audio clips at link). Intrigued (I’d picked up some old vinyl of Jamal along the way, and even gone to the trouble of trying to convert it to CD – with limited success, but that’s another story), I checked the CD out. It was a solid mix of standards and original compositions, one of which, the title tune, featured poetic vocals by Donna McElroy and choral group Vox One:
After Fajr
Within the very early hours of the morning
There is a presence that is felt before the dawning
Fajr is near, Fajr is here, Fajr has come, my friend
There is an angel that arrives before the dawning
With all the Blessings that take place before the morningFajr is near, Fajr is here, Fajr has come, my friend
Don’t be sleepy, don’t be weary, don’t be absent
Don’t be missing, don’t be lazy, don’t be hazy
For the time is at hand, don’t you miss this great plan
I will be right there with you
Sharing all the things you doAnd after Fajr we will find our way to beauty
And we will smile as we perform our worldly dutiesFajr is near, Fajr is here, Fajr has come, my friend
Fajr refers to the period between the first morning twilight and sunrise, and the prayers said by Moslems at that time. The poem can be read that way, but perhaps there are wider meanings too, of changes in the air…
Good stuff here – well worth a listen, although I’d recommend that if you’re not familiar with Jamal’s body of work you explore several CDs over a range of years to see what you like best (assuming you have a well-stocked public library nearby). Two reviews of this CD and information on the performers are available here and here, in case you’d like a second and third opinion to mine.
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal was born Frederick Russell Jones on July 2, 1930. A child prodigy who began to play the piano at the age of 3, he began formal studies at age 7. While in high school, he completed the equivalent of college master classes under the noted African-American concert singer and teacher Mary Caldwell Dawson and pianist James Miller. He joined the musicians union at the age of 14, and he began touring upon graduation from Westinghouse High School at the age of 17, drawing critical acclaim for his solos. In 1950, he formed his first trio, The Three Strings. Performing at New York’s The Embers club, Record Producer John Hammond “discovered” The Three Strings and signed them to Okeh Records (a division of Columbia, now Sony, Records). (source)
He began using the name ‘Ahmad Jamal’ after his conversion to Islam around 1952. He is also a distant cousin of Malcolm X.
In 1951, Mr. Jamal first recorded Ahmad’s Blues on Okeh Records. His arrangement of the folk tune Billy Boy, and Poinciana (not his original composition), also stem from this period. In 1955, he recorded his first Argo (Chess) Records album that included New Rhumba, Excerpts From The Blues, Medley (actually I Don’t Want To Be Kissed), and It Ain’t Necessarily So — all later utilized by Miles Davis and Gil Evans on the albums “Miles Ahead” and “Porgy and Bess.” In his autobiography, Mr. Davis praises Mr. Jamal’s special artistic qualities and cites his influence. In fact, the mid-to-late 1950’s Miles Davis Quintet recordings notably feature material previously recorded by Mr. Jamal: Squeeze Me, It Could Happen To You, But Not For Me, Surrey With The Fringe On Top, Ahmad’s Blues, On Green Dolphin Street and Billy Boy. (source)
More on Jamal’s style and major influence on Miles Davis:
Jamal’s own playing was a model of economy; because he didn’t overwhelm listeners with his technique, his flashes of virtuosity had significantly more impact. His lines were spare and light, yet melodically and harmonically inventive, and driven by complex left-hand chord voicings that broke with Bud Powell’s right-hand emphasis. A chamber-like sensibility and a classical formality permeated much of his playing, yet he swung like a jazzman without fail. Miles Davis greatly admired him, borrowing liberally from his repertoire and arrangements, and encouraging his pianist Red Garland to imitate Jamal’s playing as closely as possible; additionally, Jamal’s concepts of space and subtlety greatly affected Davis in his own right, both as a soloist and as a bandleader who (as it’s often put) let the music breathe. (source)
In 1958, Jamal (along with bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Vernell Fournier) made a live album for Argo Records entitled “But Not For Me.” The resulting hit single and album also included his version of Poinciana, which could be considered his “signature”. This album remained on the Ten Best-selling charts for 108 weeks — unprecedented then for a jazz album. This financial success enabled Jamal to open a restaurant/club, The Alhambra, in Chicago. Here the trio was able to perform in the `60’s and `70’s while limiting their touring schedule, and Jamal was able to do record production and community work.
In 1970, Jamal performed the title tune by Johnny Mandel for the soundtrack of the film “Mash!”
Starting in the 1980’s, but even more so in the 1990’s and 2000’s, Jamal began a more active period of touring (especially in Europe) and recording. He expanded his familiar trio format to sometimes include a sax player, a role played at times by George Coleman and Stanley Turrentine, among others. You probably can find several of his CDs on your next trip to the mega-books-and-coffee-shop.
In 1994, Mr. Jamal received the American Jazz Masters award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The same year he was named a Duke Ellington Fellow at Yale University, where he performed commissioned works the Assai String Quartet. A CD is available of these works.
In 1995, two tracks from “But Not For Me” — Music, Music, Music and Poinciana — were featured in the Clint Eastwood film “The Bridges of Madison County.”
For more information:
An interview with Jamal is available at the AllAboutJazz website. His official website is here, and a good fan website is here.. The Wikipedia entry on Jamal, which includes a discography and a downloadable sample of his music, is here, and the AllMusic Guide entry for him is here.
