Ahmad Jamal, a jazz pianist for more than seven decades who influenced generations of musicians with his minimalist playing style, died Sunday. He was 92.
The musician’s wife, Laura Hess-Hay, confirmed the Pittsburgh native’s death but did not provide any details, The Washington Post reported.
Jamal died at his home in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts, according to The New York Times. The cause of death was prostate cancer, his daughter, Sumayah Jamal, told the newspaper.
Born Frederick Russell Jones in Pittsburgh on July 2, 1930, Jamal lived in the Homewood section of the city, according to WPXI-TV.
His taut and rhythmically supple approach to jazz piano influenced generations of musicians who embraced his less-is-more dynamics. https://t.co/9rdHr8zg3I
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 16, 2023
“Pittsburgh meant everything to me and it still does,” Jamal said in a 2001 interview.
He began playing at the age of 3 when an uncle challenged him to imitate him on the family piano. He turned professional when he was 14, according to the Post.
In 1950, Jamal became one of the first Black performers who publicly adopted the Muslim faith, the Post reported.
The older I’ve gotten, the more Ahmad Jamal has meant to me. R.I.P. to a titan pianist, a conceptualist of the first order, one of most expressive dramatists in the history of the music, and, when he wanted to be, one swinging motherfucker. pic.twitter.com/nof5bWp9Ci
— Mark Stryker (@Mark_Stryker) April 16, 2023
Jamal enjoyed playing in a trio and was successful with his spare, rhythmic style and pauses between notes, according to the newspaper.
He excelled at classic pop standards such as “Love for Sale,” “A Gal in Calico” and “Don’t Blame Me.” He was also known for his own compositions like “Ahmad’s Blues.”
Jamal originally began playing in a trio with Israel Crosby on bass and Ray Crawford on guitar.
He moved to Chicago in 1951 and his group was the house band for Chicago’s Pershing Hotel lounge, the Post reported. He found commercial success in 1958 with “Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not For Me.”
The million-selling album stayed on the Billboard magazine charts for more than 100 weeks, according to the Post. The album included Jamal’s signature number, a version of the 1930s pop ballad “Poinciana.” He teamed with Crosby and drummer Vernel Fournier, according to the Times.
In 1989, jazz trumpeter Miles Davis wrote in his autobiography that Jamal “knocked me out with his concept of space, his lightness of touch, and the way he phrases notes and chords and passages.”
After moving to New York City, Jamal gained praise for his keyboard version of the theme song from “M*A*S*H,” the Post reported. In 1970 he released the album, “The Awakening,” with bassist Jamil Nasser and drummer Frank Gant.
The recording was one of many sampled by hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z, according to the newspaper.
In 2011, Mosaic Records released a nine-CD boxed set consisting of Jamal’s 12 albums he recorded between 1956 and 1962, according to the Times.
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