Ahmad Jamal

A couple of weeks ago Chad called me and said, "Ahmad Jamal is getting old....and he is coming to Salt Lake to perform at the Sheraton." Fortunately, the stars aligned in terms of schedules and babysitting. Last Monday night, we went to the concert

Ahmad Jamal is an amazing Jazz pianist. He has been popular since the early 50's. His most famous song is Poinciana. (I tried to make a link for you to listen to it, but couldn't make it work. If you google it, many options will come up.) I love this song and many more that he has written. We were lucky enough to end up on third row seats, sitting about 20 feet away from the piano. All of the musicians were so fun to watch. From our seats, you could see all of their facial expressions. Jamal would grin when the percussionist did something particularly interesting. He not only performed, but conducted the piece while playing. He would point to the drummer or bassist when it was their turn to solo as well as direct the end of the solo. He would comment on his own playing saying, "Yes!" at the end of a particularly good riff.

We also had the opportunity to meet Jamal after the concert and have him sign a CD. He was talkative and fun to visit with. What a great night!