Tag Archives: Ahmad Jamal
Brad Mehldau’s Blindfold Test From 2000 (Uncut) — He Turned 41 Yesterday
Eleven years ago, I had an opportunity to do the DownBeat Blindfold Test with Brad Mehldau, then 30, and in residence at the Village Vanguard for a week-long engagement. It was conducted in Mehldau’s hotel room on the Upper West … Continue reading
Filed under Blindfold Test, Brad Mehldau, DownBeat
Vernell Fournier on Ahmad Jamal, WKCR, 1990
Yesterday’s Ahmad Jamal birthday posting included a conversation with New Orleans drum master Herlin Riley, Jamal’s drummer of choice during the ’80s. Today I’m sharing an interview that I conducted in 1990 on WKCR with Riley’s famous New Orleans antecedent, … Continue reading
Filed under Ahmad Jamal, Chicago, Drummer, Interview, WKCR
It’s Ahmad Jamal’s 81st Birthday
A few weeks ago, the unfortunate news went semi-viral that the U.S. government had blocked Ahmad Jamal, who turns 81 today, from receiving a $10,000 fee for a forthcoming performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, citing the bank transfer as … Continue reading
Filed under Ahmad Jamal, Chicago, Interview, Piano, WKCR
NEA Jazz Masters 2012: Von Freeman
For the thirtieth and perhaps final installment of the National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Masters Awards, the NEA selected a quartet of hardcore individualists, who have steadfastly followed their own path through the decades: Drummer Jack DeJohnette, tenor saxophonist … Continue reading
Filed under Chicago, Interview, Tenor Saxophone, WKCR
