How Ahmad Jamal Got His Groove Back

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Though he was well-versed in the musical vernacular of blues, big bands, bebop and hard bop, piano trios and singers, as well as European classical music, pianist Ahmad Jamal seemed out of step as jazz fused with rock and R&B in the 1970s.

Doubling on the Fender Rhodes and frequently backed by singers and strings, Jamal's covers of contemporary hits like Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," Marvin Gaye's "Danger Man" and Steely Dan's "Black Cow" didn't feel authentic, nor did they play to his musical strengths. Jamal might have attracted a handful of fans of funk, but most jazz lovers remained nonplussed.

Most importantly, the infectious joy was missing, along with Jamal's mojo.

Few of Jamal's studio releases during the mid to late '70s were as commercially or artistically successful as his best work in the 1950s and '60s, and most quickly faded into obscurity. Jamal's seven releases on 20th Century Records between 1973 and 1980 did little to burnish his resume and the troubled record company did next to nothing to promote his releases. The parent film company finally sold the record label to Polygram in early 1982.

At a Crossroads

By June 1985, Jamal's career appeared to be in dire need of a reset, and the 1985 Festival International de Jazz de Montreal provided him with just such an opportunity.

Some of the greatest players in jazz were scheduled to perform over the nine-day event, including Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, The Chick Corea Trio, The Pat Metheny Group, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis, who released a DVD of his set. The Montreal Gazette reported that about 320,000 music lovers attended the 1985 festival.

Undaunted, Jamal was primed with a fresh young band and a revitalized repertoire. Ahmad Jamal startled the jazz world at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival when he opened his set on a Fender Rhodes electric keyboard. Fourteen years later, the nearly 55-year-old pianist once again unleashed an electric instrument at a jazz festival.

On the third night of the 1985 Festival de Jazz de Montreal, Jamal's new bassist, James Cammack, electrified an enthusiastic audience at the Theatre San Denis II on fretless bass guitar for the high-energy "Yellow Fellow," a composition by Swedish bassist Christian Paulin.

The opening track is virtually a 15-minute-long introduction to Jamal's latest rhythm section: 29-year-old James Cammack, 28-year-old New Orleans drummer Herlin Riley and Jamal's frequent percussionist, Selden Newton. The mesmerized crowd at the former movie theater started going bonkers long before the song ended, then exploded in rapturous applause.

Equally impressive, Jamal showed off his singular virtuosity as he found fresh musical ideas in "Make Someone Happy," written by Jule Styne for the 1960 musical Do Re Mi.

Jamal's rendition of the 35-year-old song was a reminder of the pianist's trademark device of deconstructing a well-known tune and reconstituting it in his own unique way.

Jamal plays with intensity, sensitivity and heart, supported by partners who know how to milk a groove, swing hard and take advantage of whatever open spaces are available.

"Make Someone Happy"



During his set, Jamal also introduced three original compositions—"Acorn," "Crossfire" and "Rossiter Road"—along with insightful covers of "Round Midnight," "Footprints" and Jack DeJohnette's "Ebony."

Jamal released Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival 1985 (Atlantic 781 699-1) in 1986. This unexpected and extraordinary mid-career record set a benchmark for Jamal's music going forward. Co-produced by Jamal and Laura Hess-Hay, the double album was recommended by Billboard Magazine.

AllMusic's Scott Yanow wrote: "This particular group is often reminiscent of Jamal's trios of the '50s, although with more modern bass playing and some denser piano than before." Jamal had re-discovered his unique groove, but with a twist. It wasn't fusion exactly but he had come a long way from his days at The Pershing. His exciting young rhythm section helped inspire the group's more modern sound.

Meet Herlin Riley

Herlin Riley, the latest in a long line of great New Orleans drummers, was recommended to Jamal by another New Orleans musician, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, son of the legendary pianist {Ellis Marsalis}. Riley would later be the featured drummer for Wynton's Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

Herlin Riley in His Own Words:

Welcome Aboard, James Cammack

Cammack, who had been performing for the West Point big band and playing gigs on the side, told interviewer Leigh Kamman in 1999 that he met Ahmad Jamal through pianist Frank Richmond, who knew Jamal through drummer Jack DeJohnette. After listening to a cassette of Richmond and Cammack playing a duet, Jamal called Cammack, who told Kamman that he "jumped out of his socks" and drove up to meet Jamal. Cammack recalled that they played for several hours.

James Cammack in his own words:



Here's a video from 1992 with Cammack, drummer David Bowler and Jamal playing the pianist's composition, "Crossfire."

Template for Future Records

Jamal followed up on his group's success at the 1985 Montreal Jazz Festival by recording several of the same songs at Skyline Studios in New York for his 1986 release, Rossiter Road. In addition to the title cut, the album included "Yellow Fellow" and Jamal's composition, "Acorn."

"Acorn" from Rossiter Road

The album is also noteworthy for the addition of Puerto Rican percussionist Manolo Badrena, who replaced Selden Newton. Formerly of Weather Report, among many others, Badrena was something else altogether. On stage, he was a frenetic yet attentive percussion sorcerer's apprentice who coaxed just the right sounds at just the right time out of his impressive arsenal of drums, bells and whistles.

In a 2017 interview with Downbeat, Jamal described Badrena: "He was in and out of my group since 1986. And he worked with Joe Zawinul and Weather Report. And he was the staff percussionist for A&M in California with Herb Alpert. Manolo's very gifted and very musical. He plays piano and guitar every day. To get that chemistry between drummers and percussionists to work, it takes a certain amount of skill to bring that to fruition. It's a wonderful thing to work with these gentlemen of high character. And the result is what you hear."

With Cammack bending notes on the bass guitar (not unlike Jaco Pastorius) and Badrena wreaking controlled havoc on percussion, along with dynamic young drummer Herlin Riley, Jamal's group was leaning into fusion territory that more closely resembled Chick Corea's Return to Forever and Weather Report than Jamal's previous ensembles while at the same time retaining Jamal's unique identity.

"Capitol Bop's" Jackson Sinnenberg asked Jamal about this group:

"And your ensemble is—as it has been for many years—James Cammack on bass, Herlin Riley on drums and Manolo Badrena on percussion. What is it about those musicians that makes them such ideal collaborators?

Jamal replied: "What made Freddie Green—who played the acoustic guitar with Count Basie for Count Basie's whole career—why was he there? It's perfect musical chemistry. Why was Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington so long? Perfect musical chemistry. ... That's why they're with me."

Here's Badrena with Ahmad Jamal, Herlin Riley and James Cammack on the title cut from Rossiter Road.



Rossiter Road debuted on the Billboard Top Jazz Album chart on June 7, 1986, eventually peaking at No. 21.

Jamal wrote all the compositions for his next release, Crystal. David Bowler from Portland, Maine, is on drums and Willie White plays percussion, along with Jamal and Cammack.

AllMusic's Yanow commented: "There are some magical moments on this quartet set featuring pianist Ahmad Jamal, bassist James Cammack, drummer David Bowler and percussionist Willie White. Jamal's control of dynamics and inventive use of space proved to be as effective as it had been when he first made his mark in the 1950s, although his chord voicings and general style had evolved. Jamal and his group perform ten of his originals with taste, swing and subtle surprises."

Here's audio of that group playing Jamal's composition "Perugia."



And his Islamic art-inspired composition "Arabesque."

Jamal also reworked his composition, "Swahililand," on Crystal. It's leaner and more delicate than it was back in 1974.



A Tribute to Pittsburgh

The last of Jamal's quintet of releases on Atlantic was his orchestral tribute to his hometown and his mother, who worked tirelessly so that her son could pursue his musical destiny. In the liner notes for Pittsburgh (Atlantic 82029-1), Jamal wrote: "This album is dedicated to the memory of my Mother, the rarest of Jewels, who raised and educated me in my beloved Pittsburgh and whose dedication to her four children and her community is beyond human perception."

Jamal discussed his hometown in the PBS documentary We Knew What We Had: The Greatest Jazz Story Never Told



Co-produced by arranger Richard Evans, Tune Erin and Jamal, and recorded at Universal Studio in Chicago, Pittsburgh includes seven Jamal originals, along with Jimmy Heath's "Mellowdrama." Jamal is joined by Cammack on bass and Bowler on drums.

Beginning with Macanudo (Argo LPS 712) in 1962, Pittsburgh was Jamal's fourth album orchestrated by Evans and arguably the most fully realized. In their first three collaborations, Jamal often seemed deferential to Evans' orchestral and choral arrangements. On Pittsburgh, Jamal and his trio are clearly in the forefront, with the orchestra in support.

AllMusic reviewer Richard S. Ginell wrote: "Evans' orchestrations, always elegant and lean, fit like gloves onto Jamal's compositions, enhancing rather than intruding, often following the contours of the melodic lines."

The title track from Pittsburgh

Vive la France

Frustrated by the lack of support from American record companies, Jamal released his next record on the Paris-based label Birdology Records, a subsidiary of Dreyfus Jazz.

In a 2002 article, Downbeat quoted Birdology founder Jean-François Deiber:

"Francois Dreyfus and I share a passion for classic jazz. Our respective labels share a common language that is understood universally. My longtime friend Ahmad Jamal was a significant influence on me to establish the label. I plan to continue and document him in a myriad of creative settings that underscore his timeless and significant contribution to the jazz legacy."

In a 2017 interview, Eugene Holley asked Jamal about his affinity for France:

"You've recorded mostly for French labels for over two decades, and you were inducted into that country's prestigious Order of the Arts and Letters in 2007. What makes France special to you?"

"What made France special to Johnny Griffin, Kenny Clarke, Bud Powell and Sidney Bechet? Jamal responded. "All of those aforementioned notables moved to France because (the French) appreciate this music more than we do. Do you see Duke Ellington or Art Tatum every day on TV (in the U.S.)? You have to go to France to do that."

For Jamal's release, Live in Paris 1992 (Birdology 849408-2), recorded in Colombes, France, Bowler and Cammack play drums and bass, respectively, with the exception of. Gordon Lane on drums and Todd Coolman on bass for Erroll Garner's "Dreamy." Jean-Francois Deiber produced the record.

In his review of "Live in Paris 1992," AllMusic's Yanow wrote: "Ahmad Jamal's style has become more extroverted and virtuosic since his early days in the 1950s, and his performances with his trio are often more dramatic. However, the pianist is still a master at using space and dynamics, interacting closely with his sidemen, and creating music that builds slowly in intensity. His Paris concert from 1992 is an excellent example of his more recent work."

"Easy Living" from Live in Paris 1992.



Instead of resting on his laurels, Ahmad Jamal had created a new, modern musical identity in the middle of his career.

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