Ahmad Jamal, the influential jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader, has died at the age of 92 following complications from prostate cancer.
Jamal was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began playing piano at the age of three. As a teenager, he attended the prestigious Westinghouse High School, where he honed his skills as a pianist and composer. In 1949, Jamal moved to Chicago, where he linked up with musicians like Von Freeman and Claude McLin. It was during this time that he converted to Islam and changed his name from Frederick Russell Jones to Ahmad Jamal. He began performing as a solo pianist at clubs in Chicago and eventually formed his own trio in 1951, featuring guitarist Ray Crawford and bassist Eddie Calhoun.
The Ahmad Jamal Trio — which later featured drummer Vernel Fournier and bassist Israel Crosby — gained notoriety following the release of their 1958 live album, At the Pershing: But Not for Me. Recorded...
Jamal was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began playing piano at the age of three. As a teenager, he attended the prestigious Westinghouse High School, where he honed his skills as a pianist and composer. In 1949, Jamal moved to Chicago, where he linked up with musicians like Von Freeman and Claude McLin. It was during this time that he converted to Islam and changed his name from Frederick Russell Jones to Ahmad Jamal. He began performing as a solo pianist at clubs in Chicago and eventually formed his own trio in 1951, featuring guitarist Ray Crawford and bassist Eddie Calhoun.
The Ahmad Jamal Trio — which later featured drummer Vernel Fournier and bassist Israel Crosby — gained notoriety following the release of their 1958 live album, At the Pershing: But Not for Me. Recorded...
- 4/17/2023
- by Consequence Staff
- Consequence - Music
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