THE AHMAD JAMAL TRIO Vinyl & CDs

Review: American jazz pianist par excellence Ahmad Jamal recorded The Awakening in 1970, originally for the Impulse! label. He was joined by Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums, and amongst his own compositions such as 'The Awakening' you can hear him tackling works from Herbie Hancock amongst others. Considering Jamal was already 20 years into his career by this point, the album has been hailed by critics for highlighting his evolution as a pianist, creating a more complex style without sacrificing delicacy and expression. It's a classic which is also loaded with hooks you might well have heard elsewhere on tracks from Nas and Common, to name but a few.