Posted on: April 9, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Ahmad Jamal is still creating tremendous music in eir eighth decade on this earth. I feel that the tracks on Blue Moon allow Jamal to come back to eir roots. In doing so, I believe that the recordings are much more polished than these initial efforts, and represent a considerable evolution from all other stages in eir career.

Autumn Rain immediately throws listeners into the fray, the seven minute runtime more than ample for Jamal to build a germ of an idea and see it to fruition. Arrangements are built up, changed, and spun out with a blindingly-sharp focus. As the tracks continue to creep up in time, I feel that Jamal’s work showcases ever more complex arrangements. Gypsy, the disc’s runt at 5 minutes, does not feel unfinished; Jamal is able to spin things to a close early with a sharpness of form that other musicians would kill for. Make sure to pick up a copy of Blue Moon from your local independent music record store at your earliest convenience.

Top Tracks: I Remember Italy, Autumn Rain

Rating: 8.9/10

Ahmad Jamal – Blue Moon (CD) / 2012 World Village / 9 Tracks / http://www.ahmadjamal.net

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