![]() ![]() ![]() He swapped out Ray Crawford's guitar for drums in a more conventional lineup. Ahmad Jamal's next phase won him wider acclaim. WHITEHEAD: "Slaughter On 10th Avenue," 1955. (SOUNDBITE OF AHMAD JAMAL TRIO'S "SLAUGHTER ON 10TH AVENUE") He heard his trios as miniature orchestras. That stuff could make Ahmad Jamal's music sound a little fussy. Miles also picked up on the pianist's way of tweaking a tune's form with little interludes and extensions. Miles Davis testified to Jamal's influence on his own understatement and use of space and silence. Nowadays, we praise Jamal's economy and dramatic shifts in density and volume. Early on, some folks dismissed that trio for making fussy, glorified cocktail music. The pianist's reputation had its ups and downs over the years. KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Ahmad Jamal's first recording, "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top," Chicago, 1951. ![]() (SOUNDBITE OF AHMAD JAMAL TRIO'S "THE SURREY WITH THE FRINGE ON TOP") Here's our jazz critic, Kevin Whitehead, with a look back on Jamal's career. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, broke through with his small-group music in Chicago in the 1950s and recorded scores of records through 2016, a 65-year recording career. Pianist Ahmad Jamal died on April 16 at age 92. ![]()
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