There is much to enjoy in this vein on his Argo recordings of the late 50s and early 60s, "Live at the Pershing" being, perhaps the most famous. I was knocked out by his 2003 recording, "In Search of Momentum" on the Dreyfus label. He plays with incredible dynamism and freedom of expression on this recording, although this may not completely suit your desire for balladry. Wonderful chemistry with drummer Idris Muhammad and bassist James Cammack throughout.
Which Ahmad Jamal Recordings?
I'm a fan of jazz trio (piano, bass and drums) and heard a nice cut from Jamal's new recording today on Jazz 88 (Newark). I'm not really familiar with his stuff, though I remember one of my colleagues back when I worked in D.C. was a huge fan. My limited exploration of this area of jazz involves the usual suspects: Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Kenny Barron, Bill Charlap, etc. I really like ballads and stuff for late night listening. Can anyone recommend some titles for me to explore?
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