# CD review: Ahmad Jamal – Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthous 2022: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2023/01/02/cd-review-ahmad-jamal-emerald-city-nights-live-at-the-penthous-2022-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2023-01-02T00:04:21+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Jazz Detective is an apt name for producer Zev Feldman’s new label. For that label’s
debut, Feldman tracked down several hours of material recorded in the mid-1960s 
by Ahmad Jamal at a Seattle club, The Penthouse, and spread the music across two
double-CDs.**

Jamal was one of the ‘60s most recognized jazz pianists, a musician with agile hands
and a nimble imagination as he worked his way inside and around the melodies. The
live format was loose, with lots of opportunities for his ensemble members to solo,
albeit they were most enjoyable when providing a steady pulse behind their leader’s
improvisations. Most of the music was drawn from the Great American Songbook along
with works by several jazz greats.

The Ahmad Jamal Trio was at the top of the jazz pops in the mid-1960s. The gloriously
tight, powerhouse team was in big demand, a headlining act with a stellar musical
reputation, radio hits and a calendar full of sold-out club gigs across the country.
In the course of their regular travels, the trio’s annual appearances at the Penthouse
in Seattle’s historic district were highly anticipated affairs, extended engagements
that typically lasted 10 days and drew waves of audiences that were enthusiastic
to say the least.

More than a dozen of the group’s performances at the intimate, low-ceilinged room
were broadcast and recorded by local radio station KING-FM’s on-air host and engineer
Jim Wilke, and those air check tapes are the source of these previously unissued
gems, presented here in a pair of deluxe packages from producer Zev Feldman’s new
label imprint, Jazz Detective. _Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse (1963–
1964)_ and _(1965–1966) _reveal the commanding, dynamic pianist in dazzling form,
backed by bassists Richard Evans and Jamil Nasser and drummer Chuck Lampkin on the
1963–’64 shows, and by Nasser and drummers Lampkin, Vernel Fournier and Frank Gant
on the 1965–’66 dates.

Jamal has always stated his preference for live gigs — noting that there’s “no comparison”
between performing before an audience and recording in the studio — and that mindset
proves a powerful force in generating the momentum of invention that propels these
vibrant sets. Covering much of Jamal’s signature repertoire from a golden era for
the piano trio, the _Live At The Penthouse_ collections are treasure troves for 
listeners who have followed the nonagenarian pianist, composer and bandleader’s 
long career, and fans of the classic soul-jazz spirit in general. The sound is excellent
considering the live environment, thanks to Wilke’s quality source material and 
Feldman and company’s keen ability to refine and enhance tapes rescued from the 
vaults of jazz history.

The limited-edition, double-LP vinyl sets are issued on 180-gram discs transferred
from the original tapes and mastered by Bernie Grundman. The music is also available
as two-CD sets and as digital downloads. A third, two-LP volume devoted to the Jamal
trio’s 1966–’68 Penthouse recordings will be released at a later date, according
to Feldman, whose production of all three Penthouse sets was supervised by Jamal
himself. Both the 1963–1964 and 1965–1966 packages include substantial booklets 
with new reflections by Jamal about his work, as well as a treasure trove of pictures
by celebrated jazz photographers Don Bronstein, Chuck Stewart and others. The 1963–
1964 volume includes new interviews with Jamal’s hit-making contemporary Ramsey 
Lewis (1935–2022) and pianist Hiromi, while the 1965–1966 collection features interviews
with pianists Jon Batiste, Kenny Barron and Aaron Diehl. Together, the irresistible
music and enlightening bonus materials will transport you to a historic jazz listening
room at a time when commanding pianism and feel-good grooves ruled the night.

Jamal, now 92, retired from performing in 2020. These may be among the final releases
of his previously lost material—unless the Jazz Detective locates more.

![Ahmad Jamal - Emerald City Nights - Live at the Penthouse 1963-1964 (Vol.  1) -
LP, Vinyl Music - Elemental, Jazz Detective](https://i0.wp.com/soulbrother.com/wp-
content/uploads/2022/12/57062.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

### _Related_