By 1970, pianist Ahmad Jamal's style had changed a bit since the 1950s, becoming denser and more adventurous while still retaining his musical identity and signature elegance. Jamal’s trio - bassist Jamil Nasser (whose double-timing lines are sometimes furious) and drummer Frank Gant, deliver intriguing performances, showing that Jamal was continuing to evolve. This Verve By Request Series features a remastered transfer on 180-gram vinyl, pressed at Third Man in Detroit.

It’s hard to imagine jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal could ever be anything but revered, but there was a time when he was criminally underrated apart from by a few sensible jazz greats like Miles Davis who was a staunch defender. Since then, he (and especially this album) have grown in popularity and you’ll hear plenty of hip hop artists sampling his work, including Gang Starr and Nas. Jamal’s work is impressively varied. He has complete control over your soul via his piano. One minute his joyous dancing over the keys will have you feeling the excitement of a birthday as a child and the next, the undulating rising and falling of his piano will calm you like the sea.

By Martha