An octogenarian jazz master who exerted an influence on not just other pianists, but most prominently on
Miles Davis,
Ahmad Jamal has remained a vital presence on the music scene since the 1950s. His nuanced 2017 album,
Marseille, finds him drawing upon his years of experience with a set of originals and covers that reveal just how vital and creative he remains. Primarily, the album showcases three distinctly varied interpretations of the title track, a hypnotic, modal ode to a city he loves, and to a greater extent a country that awarded him the prestigious Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et de Lettres in 2007. In fact,
Marseille was even recorded in France; specifically in the Parisian suburb of Malakoff. Joining
Jamal are several longtime associates including bassist
James Cammack, former
Jazz at Lincoln Center drummer
Herlin Riley, and percussionist
Manolo Badrena. Also showcased are French rapper/spoken word performer
Abd Al Malik and vocalist
Mina Agossi, both of whom show up on two separate versions of "Marseille." The first version of "Marseille" is an instrumental reading marked by
Riley's military band snare work,
Badrena's atmospheric bells and
Jamal's wave-like piano, all of which evoke the city's coastal atmosphere. The second version is an equally evocative take buoyed by
Cammack's languid bass motif and featuring a passionate spoken word piece in French from
Malik. The final version is moody, cabaret-tinged treatment with
Agossi's wry French vocals framed by
Jamal's sparkling piano work and
Badrena's magical chimes and percussion accents. Elsewhere,
Jamal keeps the magic flowing, diving into the Afro-Cuban-infused "Pots en Verre," drawing upon dramatic, roiling,
Bob Fosse-esque dance rhythms on "Baalbeck," and directly referencing the bluesy call-and-response melody of
Davis' 1982
We Want Miles track "Jean Pierre" on an infectious reworking of the traditional spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child."
Jamal also seems to borrow more from
Davis, conjuring the sound of the trumpeter's 1965 piece "Eighty-One" for his funky interpretation of "Autumn Leaves." However, it's the pianist's original pieces here, like the glittering, dreamlike "I Came to See You/You Were Not There" that seem to flood deeper into your soul with each listen. If the music presented on
Marseille is any indication, the city is clearly an intoxicating locale. Ultimately,
Jamal has captured that intoxicating vibe and crafted an homage to a city that's as a heartfelt and finely rendered as anything he's done. ~ Matt Collar
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