28 Facts About Ahmad Jamal

Ahmad Jamal began playing piano at the age of three, when his uncle Lawrence challenged him to duplicate what he was doing on the piano.

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

Ahmad Jamal studied with pianist James Miller and began playing piano professionally at the age of fourteen, at which point he was recognized as a "coming great" by the pianist Art Tatum.

Ahmad Jamal began touring with George Hudson's Orchestra after graduating from George Westinghouse High School in 1948.

Ahmad Jamal joined another touring group known as The Four Strings, which disbanded when violinist Joe Kennedy Jr.

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Ahmad Jamal converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Jamal in 1950.

Ahmad Jamal says them in Arabic in keeping with the Muslim tradition.

Ahmad Jamal made his first records in 1951 for the Okeh label with The Three Strings : the other members were guitarist Ray Crawford and a bassist, at different times Eddie Calhoun, Richard Davis, and Israel Crosby .

Ahmad Jamal subsequently recorded for Parrot and Epic using the piano-guitar-bass lineup.

Ahmad Jamal's recording of the well known song "Poinciana" was first released on this album.

Ahmad Jamal played the set with bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Vernel Fournier.

Jazz musicians and listeners alike found inspiration in the At the Pershing recording, and Ahmad Jamal's trio was recognized as an integral new building block in the history of jazz.

Ahmad Jamal, who was twenty-nine at the time, said he had a curiosity about the homeland of his ancestors, highly influenced by his conversion to the Muslim faith.

In 1962, The Three Strings disbanded and Ahmad Jamal moved to New York City, where, at the age of 32, he took a three-year hiatus from his musical career.

In 1964, Ahmad Jamal resumed touring and recording, this time with the bassist Jamil Nasser and recorded a new album, Extensions, in 1965.

Ahmad Jamal joined forces with Fournier and drummer Frank Gant, among others.

Ahmad Jamal continued to play throughout the 1970s and 1980s, mostly in trios with piano, bass and drums, but he occasionally expanded the group to include guitar.

In 1986, Ahmad Jamal sued critic Leonard Feather for using his former name in a publication.

Ahmad Jamal is the main mentor of jazz piano virtuosa Hiromi Uehara, known as Hiromi.

Ahmad Jamal emphasized space and time in his musical compositions and interpretations instead of focusing on the blinding speed of bebop.

Stanley Crouch, author of Considering Genius, offers a very different reaction to Ahmad Jamal's music, claiming that, like the highly influential Thelonious Monk, Ahmad Jamal was a true innovator of the jazz tradition and is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Parker.

Ahmad Jamal says his style evolved from drawing on the techniques and music produced in these three eras.

In 1985, Ahmad Jamal agreed to do an interview and recording session with his fellow jazz pianist, Marian McPartland on her NPR show Piano Jazz.

Ahmad Jamal, who said he rarely plays "But Not For Me" due to its popularity since his 1958 recording, played an improvised version of the tune – though only after noting that he has moved on to making ninety percent of his repertoire his own compositions.

Ahmad Jamal said that when he grew in popularity from the Live at the Pershing album, he was severely criticized afterwards for not playing any of his own compositions.

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In more recent years, Ahmad Jamal has embraced the electronic influences affecting the genre of jazz.

Ahmad Jamal has occasionally expanded his usual small ensemble of three to include a tenor saxophone and a violin.

Ahmad Jamal'd come back and throw things out at you, directly from what you played.