Ahmad Jamal Chamber Music Of The New Jazz CD

Personnel: Ahmad Jamal (piano); Ahmad Jamal; Israel Crosby (bass instrument); Ray Crawford (guitar).
Liner Note Author: Herbert Lust.
Recording information: Chicago, IL (05/23/1955).
This album is unusual in two ways. Because pianist Ahmad Jamal would soon become famous for his piano/bass/drums trios, it is often forgotten that, up until 1956, his group consisted of bassist Israel Crosby and guitarist Ray Crawford. Crawford's percussive hitting of his guitar would soon be utilized by Herb Ellis in Oscar Peterson's Trio. And, although it is know that Miles Davis listened closely to Jamal and often "borrowed" his repertoire, few probably realize that Gil Evans based some of his famous arrangements on Jamal's interpretations. A comparison of "New Rumba" and "Medley" (which is really "I Don't Want To Be Kissed") on this album with Evans' version for Miles Ahead in 1957 sounds nearly identical despite the very different personnel. It is a pity that Jamal would soon change his group's instrumentation since his communication with Crawford and Crosby (heard here on such tunes as "A Foggy Day," "All of You," "I Get a Kick out of You" and "Spring Is Here") was often magical, but he would soon gain great popularity with the upcoming guitarless trio (which was just as telepathic). ~ Scott Yanow
Verve should be endlessly praised for reissuing superb albums like Ahmad Jamal's CHAMBER MUSIC OF THE NEW JAZZ on CD, bringing them back into commercial circulation so that jazz fans old and new can experience (or re-experience) their splendor. While the set list of 1955's CHAMBER MUSIC may appear standard, with treatments of "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "A Foggy Day" (Jamal's fine original "New Rumba" is the exception), there is nothing "standard" about this excellent session, in conception, sound, or execution.
Both "chamber music" and "the new jazz" are appropriate appellations. The simultaneously stark/lush trio format--which features Jamal's piano in deep conversation with Israel Crosby's bass and Ray Crawford's guitar--gives the music a cerebral, floating feel. (Oddly enough, the drummerless background actually highlights the rhythmic intensity of each musician's playing--especially Crawford's pizzicato guitar work). The music also differentiates itself from the hard bop of the time in managing to merge advanced, complex playing with an exquisite sensitivity to dynamics and delicacy of mood. On each of these nine compositions, the musicians play with understated intensity, often using space as a rhythmic element (as on the interlude to "Darn That Dream").