Search - Ahmad Jamal :: Rossiter Road

Enjoy a ride down Rossiter Road...

reading man | 01/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this trio last summer in San Francisco; the audience could not get enough. When Mr. Jamal told us they had performed together twenty years, my search for their music led me to Rossiter Road. The compositions have a back and forth dynamic: fast then not so fast, intense then contemplative. The contributions of Manola Badrena on percussions take the music to another dimension. Mr. Jamal introduces 'Yellow Fellow", the longest entry at 6:20, slowly building tension until the others join him, and he drives the melody hard. Drums, percussion, and bass take solos around the piano, they pick up the pace together, and then come to a sudden stop. "Autumn Rain" follows, brought in serenely by drums and percussion. The bass weaves in a slow line and the trio maintains this pace throughout, creating a dreamy feeling of suspended time. The piano climbs slow and steady on top of this, and the group eases into a relaxing finish. The title tune closes with a sense of swing and completion. Beyond quality jazz, Rossiter Road is an experience, one to admire and enjoy."