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The pianist Ahmad Jamal is truly a jazz living legend, one of Miles Davis's favorite pianists, he has performed with the best players in the world.

He arrives in Catania for a national exclusive concert, only for the audience of Catania Jazz.

 

Biography

 

Ahmad Jamal was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. and attended George Westinghouse High School. He began playing piano at the age of three, when his uncle Lawrence challenged him to duplicate what he was playing on the piano.

 

Jamal began formal piano training at the age of seven with Mary Cardwell Dawson, who he describes as greatly influencing him.

Jamal began touring with George Hudson's Orchestra. His first album Ahmad's Blues was recorded in 1951 on the Okeh label. He soon began touring with another group known as The Four Strings, which was soon disbanded.

 

Following this, Jamal created The Three Strings, with bassist Israel Crosby and guitarist Red Crawford. Crawford was soon replaced with drummer Vernell Fournier in 1958, and the group worked as the "House Trio" at Chicago's Pershing Hotel. The trio released the live album But Not for Me which stayed on the Ten Best-selling charts for a 108 weeks.

 

Jamal's well known song Poinciana was first released on this album. The financial success of the album allowed Jamal to open a restaurant and club called The Alhambra.

 

Jamal typically plays with a bassist and drummer; his current trio is with bassist James Cammack and drummer Idris Muhammad. Jamal has also recorded with saxophonist George Coleman on the album The Essence.

In 1994, Jamal received the National Endowment of the Art's American Jazz Masters award and also named a Duke Ellington Fellow at Yale University.

 

Ahmad Jamal is also known to be a Steinway artist since 1960. It is rumored that his pianos need to be tuned between sets due to the percussive nature ofhis playing.

 

 

Videography

 

 

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