LP-662

Ahmad Jamal - Happy Moods

Released 1960

Recording and Session Information

Ahmad Jamal Trio
Ahmad Jamal, piano; Israel Crosby, bass; Vernel Fournier, drums
Chicago, January 20 & 21, 1960

9945 Rhumba no. 2
9956 Easy to love
9958 Little old lady
9960 Excerpt from the blues
9964 I'll never stop loving you
9970 Pavanne
9973 For all we know
9974 Speak low
9977 Time on my hands
Raincheck

Track Listing

Little Old Lady	Hoagy Carmichael	January 20 & 21, 1960
For All We Know	Morton Gould	January 20 & 21, 1960
Pavanne	Ahmad Jamal	January 20 & 21, 1960
Excerpt From The Blues	Cole Porter	January 20 & 21, 1960
You'd Be So Easy To Love	Billy Strayhorn	January 20 & 21, 1960
Time On My Hands	Adamson, Youmans, Gordon	January 20 & 21, 1960
Raincheck	Strayhorn	January 20 & 21, 1960
I'll Never Stop Loving You	Cahn, Brodszky	January 20 & 21, 1960
Speak Low	Weill, Nash	January 20 & 21, 1960
Rhumba No. 2	Ahmad Jamal	January 20 & 21, 1960

Liner Notes

THE METEORIC RISE of Ahmad Jamal from comparative obscurity to the most sought-after and biggest-selling recording artist in jazz is one of the phenomenons of the last two years. Seldom in the history of music has a man soared to international renown so rapidly.

To the people who had never heard of Jamal previous to 1958, it probably seemed almost miraculous that a man could come from nowhere so fast. To those who had watched with some interest a career that was a good decade in the making, the surprise was not nearly so great. Because for years Ahmad had displayed great potential for success and had built up a small but tremendously loyal following.

When the lightning struck, he was ready.

That lightning came in the form of a 12-inch-round vinylite disc called Argo LP 628, But Not For Me. Most commonly it is referred to as Jamal At The Pershing. It touched off a prairie fire.

Succeeding recordings included two LPs recorded in night club surroundings and one with orchestra — Jamal At The Penthouse. This is the first studio recording the trio has done by itself since the fates smiled.

And the hallmarks of the hrnal style are in full evidence here — simplicity, rhythmic force, subtlety, and remarkable interplay between the members.

Take the first track, for example. Ahmad dug back to the to come up with a pop hit of that day in Hoagy Carmichael's Little Old Lady. The melody is stated in typical Jamal fashion — easily recognizable but shaped gracefully and slyly to his own liking. A long solo from Ahmad follows, as bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Vernell Fournier play hand-in-glove behind him.

A touching ballad performance follows as Ahmad weaves a haunting mood on For All We Know.

Morton Gould's Pavanne is next and is an excellent example of how far afield Jamal will range to find material suitable to him. The smoothly-meshed, free-floating rhythmic vitality of the trio is a highlight here.

Excerpt From The Blues is a Jamal original that allows him to roam reflectively and quietly through the blues before kicking up the tempo once more on Cole Porter's You'd Be So Easy To Love.

Ahmad's approach to the first track on the second side is unusual. He plays just one chorus of Time On My Hands, straying little from the melody, before going into a closing vamp. "It's such a pretty tune as written that I didn't feel like doing any more than this with it," says Jamal.

Raincheck is a Billy Strayhorn composition that is played brilliantly by Ahmad and associates. Fournier puts brushes aside to play with sticks for the first time in the album and contributes greatly to swinging feeling of the performance.

Another change-of-pace ballad follows as Ahmad inserts hints of Over The Rainbow into his playing of I'll Never Stop Loving You.

Vernell goes back to sticks on Speak Low, Ahmad unleashes some violence in his long, churning solo, and the final chorus becomes a sparkling example of subtlety and rhythmic ingenuity.

The absorption Jamal often has shown for Latin tempos is evidenced once again on the closer, Rhumba No. 2, his own composition, and it is a fitting wrap-up to yet another package of first-rate Jamal.

It has often been said of Ahmad that because of the taste and simplicity of his style, What he doesn't play is often as important as what he does play.

I must disagree.

I like to hear what he does play.
Jack Tracy

Down Beat 18 August 1960 Volume 27 Issue 17
This one left me in a pretty unhappy mood despite the fact that it was well executed. So many jazzmen have listed Jamal as one of their first sources of inspiration. It is more than mildly disappointing, therefore, to hear this artist collapse into a sea of pretty clichés, pyrodynamics, and technical chicanery.

There are occasional flashes of thoughtful creativity throughout. Old Lady is one, portions of Blues is another. The album swings quite satisfactorily. However. there is that uncomfortable bounce created by the brief piano stabs by Jamal punctuated by Fournier’s bass drum.

Crosby is uncompromising in his taste, and he continues as the sparkplug of the group.

In case you hadn't noticed, consider that one cute little tune, Time, has only the opening chorus and a “closing vamp”; that Loving You has some awfully cute quotes from Over the Rainbow; that Rhumba No. 2 has some very cute trills and frills, and that the playing time runs exactly 36 minutes and 36 seconds (isn’t that cute?). All this considered, the album is just a little too cute for jazz. It is a first-rate contribution, however. (B.G.)