One of the great pianists to ever grace us with his music and certainly one of my all-time favorite musicians.
Aside from his beautiful legacy, his passing also reminded me of a video I recorded of my Dad playing a game in which I would test his jazz knowledge.
In this game, I would play a few seconds of a random track in my Jazz playlist and ask Dad something like: "Which tune is this?" or "who's tenor?".
As I played this particular track, my Dad got all excited and started making the gesture like he's playing with the brooms and just really vibing with it.
A few seconds go by and I ask him who's playing.
Without hesitating he says: "Ahmad Jamal!"
You could hear my surprise in the video, but honestly, I shouldn't have been...
You could hear my surprise in the video, but honestly, I shouldn't have been...
Dad's knowledge was insane. Of course, he would get it. He would know even the most obscure name or role player.
And despite the fact that I've played this game dozens of times more, it's always the Ahmad Jamal moment that I think of... so naturally, as I mourn Jamal's passing, I also think of Dad, who I miss dearly!
Wish I could play this game with him one more time...
