R.I.P. Ahmad Jamal

Renowned Jazz Pianist was 92

‘Jamal was heralded for his spacious approach to playing piano and in 1994 was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment For The Arts (NEA). He discussed his standout style during a 2007 interview with Molly Murphy for the NEA, stating:

“Well they call it space. They call it space. I call it discipline. It’s part of my discipline. And I acquired this discipline because of working so many configurations. I’ve played with every configuration known and unknown to man. I’ve played with just saxophone and piano, when I was growing up, no drums. Big orchestras, big bands, I grew up in big bands. I’ve played for singers, accompanying singers…”

Jamal continued to record and perform throughout his career. His final album was 2019’s Ballades, which was recorded during sessions for his 2016 album, Marseille….’

— via JamBase