The aptly named label Jazz Detective is the child of producer Zev Feldman, who has uncovered countless musical treasures over the years. Under his watchful eye, hidden gems from Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus and Wes Montgomery have been brought to light. Now, Feldman has knocked on the door of the Ahmad Jamal, and has slipped into his basement to uncover a collection of previously unreleased material from a more obscure time of the legendary pianist’s career, spanning 1963-66 in a pair of two disc sets.
All recorded at the Penthouse Jazz Club in Seattle, Washington, the music has Jamal on the first (1963-64) collection finds Jamal during a time when he didn’t record any studio material (between Macanudo and Naked City Theme) , making this find a real treat. There are two sets, both with drummer Chuck Lampkin; the June 1963 gig has Richard Evans as bassist, and the March/April, 1964 includes bassist Jamil Nasser.
Jamal is in wondrous form, mixing material from his previous albums such as “But Not For Me” and “All Of You” with some surprises such as “Lillipops & Roses”, and a couple pieces from bassists Evans, “Keep On Keeping On” and “Minor Adjustments”. Lampkin is a perfect timekeeper, deft and bouyant on “Johnny One Note” and suave during “Tangerine”. Jamal touches the ivories like Monet, creating lights and impressions with a mix of brush strokes and dots. His lyricism is elegant, taking “Squatty Roo” and “But Not For Me” and creating minor miracles.
The 1965-66 has Jamal keeping Nassir at bass, and switching between old partner Vernel Fournier, Chuck Lampkin or the recently added Frank Gant on drums. The March 1965 set has Jamal focusing on material by British composer Leslie Bricusse, with some deft readings of the familiar “Who Can I Turn To?” as well as the more obscure “Feeling Good” and “My First Love Song”, with Jamal and company stretching out in sublime groove. With Fournier in October of ‘66, Jamal sizzles his own “Concern”, with the drummer locking in deeply with Nasser. The last group returns with a vintage take of “Poinciana” and Jamal giving an intimate aria of “Whisper Not”. This is a wonderful find, and with extra notes and interviews with the likes of Kenny Barron, Jon Batiste and Hiromi, you get a feeling for the depth of inspiration from this living legend.
Jamal has always been one of those artists, who are reminiscent of a paraphrase of GK Chesterton’s famous line on Christianity. It’s not that it was tried and found wanting, but was found difficult and never tried.