AHMAD JAMAL Vinilo y CD

Review: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse (1966-1968) is the third release of previously unissued recordings of the iconic pianist Ahmad Jamal captured live at the hallowed Penthouse jazz club in Seattle, WA, between 1966-1968, with bassist Jamil Nasser and drummer Frank Gant. Produced for release by "Jazz Detective" Zev Feldman, and supervised by Jamal himself, these recordings were transferred from the original tape reels and mastered for vinyl by the legendary Bernie Grundman. This deluxe 180-gram 2xLP gatefold set includes an extensive booklet with rare photos by Don Bronstein, Chuck Stewart, and others; essays by producer Zev Feldman, journalist Eugene Holley, Jr., radio DJ and original recording engineer Jim Wilke, son of the Penthouse owner, Charlie Puzzo Jr., and Joe Alterman; and interviews with pianists Les McCann, Monty Alexander and Emmet Cohen.

Review: Keys maestro Ahmad Jamal was something of a lost bebopper, giving penance to a genre that was otherwise mired in noodling and relentless velocity. Placing artistic integrity over the spotlight was a trait he maintained over the course of an entire career, earning him a reputation as something of a jazz angel. This repress of an early live show in Paris - backed by Frank Gant on drums and Jamil Nasser on double bass - effortlessly brings a trans-Atlantic mood across the pond from New York to France, with Jamal sternly prodding both the white-and-black ivories, and our moods.