Piano

Ahmad Jamal

(1930–2023)

Ahmad Jamal (1930–2023) — Piano. Led But Not for Me: At the Pershing, At the Pershing: But Not for Me, The Awakening. Worked with Israel Crosby, Vernell Fournier, Jamil Nasser.

Miles Davis said his musical concept came from Ahmad Jamal. Jamal uses space the way painters use negative space — what he doesn't play is as important as what he does. Few notes, wide silences, and a rhythmic grip that keeps the tension taut. His live recordings capture a concentrated intensity unlike almost anyone else.

Miles DavisMiles Davisマイルス・デイヴィス called Ahmad JamalAhmad Jamalアーマッド・ジャマル 'the most underrated piano player in the business.' Ahmad JamalAhmad Jamalアーマッド・ジャマル's use of space — silence between notes — directly influenced how Miles DavisMiles Davisマイルス・デイヴィス approached his own playing and arranging.

— Miles: The Autobiography, Miles Davis, 1989

fact-checked

Miles Davis

Born in 1930, Ahmad JamalAhmad Jamalアーマッド・ジャマル remained an active performer until shortly before his death in 2023 at age 92. Over a 70-plus-year career he continuously evolved his style — from hard bop to contemporary jazz — a rare longevity in any art form.

— Ahmad Jamal, measured maestro of the jazz piano, dies at 92, NPR, 2023

fact-checked

Ahmad JamalAhmad Jamalアーマッド・ジャマル's 1958 Chicago recording of "Poinciana" on But Not for Me directly shaped Miles DavisMiles Davisマイルス・デイヴィス's thinking about space and silence. In JazzTimes he called his trio a "chamber orchestra," writing bass and drums as counterpoint rather than accompaniment.

— It Feels Like I'm Walking History, JazzTimes, 2017

fact-checked

Miles Davis

Ahmad Jamal said

'Miles said he learned silence from my playing. That is an honor.'

On Miles Davis's well-documented admiration for Jamal's playing. Miles often directed his band members to listen to Ahmad Jamal.

JazzTimes

It Feels Like I'm Walking History

📖The One Who Can't Wait, and the Piano That CanBar / ×

Aya and Mina at the bar counter, listening to a piano. Something is born from what isn't played.