Ahmad Jamal - Cross Country Tour: 1958-1961

A great album and a great bargain

What you get here are two chock-full CDs of the best of Ahmad Jamal's trio output during the late 50s and early 60s. Maybe his absolute best output, period.

Ahmad plays smoothly, melodically, adding quirky interpretations of the melody a little at a time. Sometimes he improvises by subtracting, leaving out notes or lines instead of cluttering things up with lots of notes. Then, out of nowhere will come lightning fast runs or accented notes, struck loud and proud. This is the excitement of the Ahmad Jamal Trio. Melody. Space. Silence. Surprise. Delight!

This collection also contains 3/4 of the classic album Live At The Pershing -- you don't absolutely need that album if you have this one -- the essential stuff is here.

Cross Country Tour is on my personal list of the 100 best albums of all time. The recording quality is a little dodgy here and there, but you can't beat the music. It has had replay after replay in my house for years. June 9, 2008

Outstanding

This is actually the second time I have purchased this particular CD. I had relatives visiting for the weekend and this 2-CD set was a huge hit with everyone so I purchased the 2nd one as a gift for them. Ahmad Jamal is awesome and his music is soothing, relaxing, and soul-stirring. I am in my 50's and was raised in a household of jazz lovers. Many of the tracks on these CD's are what I listened to as a teenager and this CD includes some of his best work. Very happy to have passed that appreciation on to my children. I highly recommend this CD to all jazz enthusiasts! October 17, 2007

Choosing a Jamal Album

I have on vinyl "Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk" & "Chamber Music of the New Jazz". I have scanned all of the Jamal CD's and couldn't find "THE ONE" comparable to those two! Now I know why!
The original trio was in existence from 1954 to 1961: Ahmad Jamal, piano;
Isreal Crosby, bass; Vernell Fournier, drums. "At the Blackhawk" (Chess Producing Co., Chicago; Argo LP 703) was the final disc by this trio; Crosby died August 1962. The music is incredible! I cannot wait to order this CD. My album cover written by John Hammond says:" the most sensitive, delicate and subtle music in jazz history"! And I HAVE TO ADD "and then some".
"Chamber Music" has Ray Crawford on guitar; Jamal on piano; and Isreal Crosby on bass, same record company. It is a joy! My sincere hope is that one day I will be able to get these on CDs. In the meantime, buy this CD and enjoy, it has "some" of the songs from my eternally favorite albums. September 24, 2007

Really excellent, I feel like a fool for overlooking it

I have bought most of Ahmad Jamal's CDs and picked this up to fill out my collection. I started with "The Essence" and mostly worked backwards in time. I'm sorry I didn't start with this one: it is really excellent. (But I suppose if I had started here I would have guessed that Jamal is senile now, and he's not, he's still producing outstanding work, 45 years later.) April 4, 2006

One of the best

This compilation consists of some of what I consider to be the best jazz ever recorded. There is impeccable, contagious groove throughout, but it is at the same time so sensitive, so musical, and so restrained. Definitely one of the tightest trios of all time. I would consider Ahmad to be in the highest ranks of the jazz pantheon even if Miles Davis never said a word about him. February 4, 2006

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