Ahmad Jamal - It's Magic

CD Reviews

This CD features some incredible musicians, and in keeping with his usual practice, Mr. Jamal has a New Orleans drummer in his rhythm section. Idris Muhammad holds down the groove with his sensitivity, loose soul-jazz interpretation and creative textures on the drumset. On the bass, James Cammack is solid and provides a full sound upon which the other instruments float like ships on a vast sea. These two musicians are the usual trio with which Mr. Jamal plays, but on this CD, he adds a percussionist, Manolo Badrena. Badrena is a master of timing and texture, adding a fresh sound to the mix and choosing his constantly changing percussion instruments intelligently.

I have seen Mr. Jamal's trio, with the line up of Idris Muhammad and James Cammack, twice in the last few years; once in Peruggia, Italy at a 300 year old opera theater, and once at New York City's famed Blue Note Jazz Club. Both of these performances gave me an insight into the unlimited possibilities of the trio setting. Using a system of hand signals and body language, Mr Jamal guides the trio through the different sections of the tunes, that he arranges on the spot. It is a fascinating thing to watch, and a beautiful thing to hear. This record brings me back to those amazing nights of music, and with the addition of the percussionist, gives me a new texture to enjoy in his musical interpretations.

Comments (1)

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written by dez, June 03, 2009

Playing arabesque on my internet radio show! Skyline on mocradio.com

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