After Fajr Live by Ahmad Jamal

After Fajr Live

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After Fajr Live

Reader Reviews
If you've heard Jamal's early work and are expecting something in that vein, you are bound to be most disappointed with After Fajr. I found this music difficult and unfulfilling. In the 1950's and early 60's, Jamal was a jazz phenomenon. The main virtue of his work in those days was taking a popular song (or even one of his fine originals) and interpreting it in a simple, melodic, and powerful way. It was user-friendly to the non-jazz audience, and impressive to the mainstream jazz lover as well. There are two collections that represent an excellent sampling of this work: Cross Country Tour and Ahmad's Blues. This is the peak of classic Ahmad Jamal artistry. The melodies on After Fajr can be extremely difficult. One song has a vocal part that even a classically trained vocalist would have difficulty executing in a confident fashion. Jamal's piano playing has become increasingly "flighty" for lack of a better word. He flits across the keyboard from one mood and one style to the next with no seque or warning. It is the performance equivalent of attention deficit syndrome. If you want the easy listening cocktail-music style of Ahmad Jamal that made him famous, avoid this latest CD. I'm sure that some listeners will have an academic interest in this new release. It doesn't swing. It doesn't soar. It does not move me at all, except to the CD player, to take it out of the machine and put on something more tuneful.

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