Search - Ahmad Jamal :: Nature

Swinging, relaxing and beautiful. A real 5 stars.

bruno | France | 12/11/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"NATURE, The Essence Part III, is an ouststanding album (except Chaperon and Devil's in My Den which are not my favorite and which I often program out). The mood in all other tracks is absolutely fantastic. It was recorded in the South of France in the summer 1996. The energy level is high. The secret of this album, I think, is the uncomparable sound of the carabean drums of Othello Molineaux, which flies sometimes in unisson with the piano, and sometimes by itself, and gives a great atmosphere to the whole album. Swing, sensitiveness, energy, life, love, colors and humour. This album has it all, which in my opinion you do not find in the previous volumes 1 and 2 of the collection The Essence. If I Find the Way is a great piece. The album starts with the swing version and closes with the ballad version of this piece. It is great when the automatic repeat puts you back on the swing version after the ballad version. It is like a rebirth. Fantastic Vehicule is a very swinging one. There is also an incomparable humour which is present in the whole album. The End of The Love Affair is a good example. I have sometimes programed the tracks 1,2,5,6,7 and 9 and played it a whole day while working. And although it has all Jamal's exhuberance and energy, this is almost an easy listening album, in the good meaning of the expression. My mam loved it when she heard the one I just bought. For Christmas she even bought one for herself and 2 for my brothers! Thank you Mr. Jamal for the great moment of joy each time I play this album."

Incredible

Oliver Reif | Tacoma, WA United States | 01/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Miles Davis was never shy about revealing his influences and he even told his piano player Red Garland to sound as much like Ahmad Jamal as possible. Jamal is able to combine seriousness with elegance. He does not flaunt technical skill and focuses on creative melodies. Like Thelonious Monk, he has created his own world and pushes the boundaries of jazz into new territory but unlike the Thelonious Monk, who was very focused on ideas, Jamal retains a clear sense of elegance and grace. The instruments play widely apart from eachother but are clearly tied together without a single note out of place. On songs like Chaperon, Jamal goes solo and beings to sound classical showing once again the incredibly thin lines between jazz and classical music. The percussion section is incredibly rhythmic and acts perfectly as the band's epicenter. In much the same way that the Beatles give credit to Chuck Berry, Miles Davis gives credit to Ahmad Jamal."