Ahmad Jamal (born July 2, 1930) is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator. For six decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz.
Born Frederick Russell Jones in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 2, 1930, Freddy was a child prodigy and began playing piano at age three. By the time he was seven years old, he was studying privately with Mary Cardwell Dawson, the founder of the National Negro Opera Company. An accomplished musician by his teens, he performed regularly as Fritz Jones in the local jazz scene and in 1949 toured with George Hudson's Orchestra. After leaving Hudson, he joined swing violinist Joe Kennedy's group the Four Strings, with whom he stayed until Kennedy's departure around 1950. Around this time he converted to Islam and has since used the name Ahmad Jamal.
After leaving the Four Strings, Jamal relocated to Chicago, where he formed his own group, the Three Strings with bassist Eddie Calhoun and guitarist Ray Crawford, the precursor to the later Ahmad Jamal Trio. During a stint in New York City, the Three Strings caught the ear of legendary Columbia record exec and talent scout John Hammond, who signed the group to the Columbia subsidiary OKeh in 1951. During this time, Jamal released several influential albums. Some of the landmark songs recorded during these sessions include "Ahmad's Blues" and "Pavanne," both of which had a profound impact on Miles Davis, who later echoed the spare, bluesy quality of Jamal's playing on his own recordings.
In 1958, Jamal took up a residency in the lounge of the Pershing Hotel in Chicago. He recorded the seminal live album Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me. Comprised primarily of jazz standards, including his definitive version of the buoyant Latin number "Poinciana," the album showcased Jamal's minimalist phrasing and unique approach to small group jazz, emphasizing varied dynamics and nuanced shading as opposed to the high-energy freneticism commonly associated with jazz of the '40s and '50s.
Though somewhat misunderstood by critics at the time who did not fully appreciate the inventive qualities of Jamal's playing, the album proved a commercial success and remained on the Billboard album charts for over two years -- a rarefied achievement for a jazz musician of any generation. The smash success of Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me raised the musician's profile and allowed him to open his own club and restaurant, The Alhambra, in Chicago in 1959. During this time, Jamal released several albums on the Argo label. Unfortunately, The Alhambra closed in 1961. The following year, Jamal disbanded his trio, moved to New York City, and took a two-year hiatus from the music industry.
In 1964, he returned to performing and recording. Working with a new version of his trio that included bassist Jamil Nasser and drummer Frank Gant, with whom he would work until 1972, Jamal recorded several more albums for Argo (later renamed Cadet). Also in 1968, Jamal made his Impulse Records debut with the live album Ahmad Jamal at the Top: Poinciana Revisited. This was followed by several more Impulse releases. These albums found Jamal moving toward an expansive, funk-infused style, sometimes playing a Fender Rhodes electric keyboard. Also during the '70s, Jamal moved to the 20th Century label and continued to release a steady stream of albums that attracted both hardcore jazz and crossover audiences. Of his '70s albums, both Genetic Walk (1975) and Intervals (1979) made the R&B charts.
The '80s continued to be a productive time for Jamal, who kicked off the decade with such albums as Night Song on Motown (1980) and Live in Concert Featuring Gary Burton (1981). After signing with Atlantic, Jamal released several well-received albums that found him returning to his classic, acoustic small group sound. The '90s also saw a resurgence in interest and acclaim for Jamal, who was awarded the American Jazz Master Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1994. Though he never stopped interpreting standards, Jamal utilized his own compositions more and more as the decades passed. During this period, he delivered albums on the Telarc as well as a handful of superb releases for Birdology.
In 2000, Jamal celebrated his 70th birthday with the concert album L'Olympia 2000, which featured saxophonist George Coleman. Jamal followed up with albums throughout the decade and in 2013, hel released the album Saturday Morning: La Buissone Studio Sessions, featuring bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Herlin Riley. Also in 2013, Jamal opened Lincoln Center's concert season by performing live with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. A year later, he delivered the concert album Live at the Olympia, June 27, 2012. In 2017, Jamal delivered the small group session Marseille. In 2019, at age 89, Jamal released Ballades, a recording he called a "French-inspired love letter to my past." Comprised of three solo compositions -- including his first of "Poinciana" -- and three duets with longtime bassist James Cammack.
(Edited from AllMusic bio by Matt Collar)