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Ahmad Jamal
Revered by critics as an influential pianist and composer, Ahmad Jamal's
trademark sparse, tense, dramatic style inspired Miles Davis and helped shape
America's post-war ‘cool jazz’ scene. Born Frederick Russell Jones on July 2,
1930, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he started playing at three, was classically
trained before he reached his teenage years, and cut his teeth with George
Hudson's Orchestra and violinist Joe Kennedy's group The Four Strings. In his
20s, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Jamal before forming
his own trio. After being discovered by legend...
