Ahmad Jamal - Outertimeinnerspace (1972)

Ahmad Jamal - Outertimeinnerspace (1972)

Artist: Ahmad Jamal
Album: Outertimeinnerspace
Recorded on June 17, 1971 at Casino Montreux, Switzerland
Originally released on Impulse AS-9226 in May 1972
Unissued on CD.

Ahmad Jamal's final Impulse! date documents (with 1971's Freeflight album) his appearance at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival. Featuring Ahmad on acoustic and electric piano, the album contains two long tracks -- "Bogota" and "Extensions". The groove is fairly lively, with lots of long flowing solos from Ahmad, and nary a dull moment from Jamil Sulieman on bass and Frank Gant on drums. Although the record isn't as moody as some of his other ones from the time, it's a strong straight jazz session, with a good spacey groove.

Born Frederick Russell Jones in Pittsburgh, PA, on July 2, 1930, he began using the name 'Ahmad Jamal' after his conversion to Islam in the early 1950s. Jamal scored a major hit with his version of "Poinciana," recorded while live on tour from The Pershing nightclub in Chicago. His style has changed steadily over time - from the lighter, breezy style heard on his 1950s sides to the funk & Caribbean stylings of the 1970s and onto the large open voicings and bravura-laden playing of the nineties. Jamal has always been distinctive, however, for his use of space, his dramatic crescendos, and for a very staccato orientation with chords.

Jamal experienced a minor resurgence in popularity during the late '60s thanks to albums like 1967's Standard Eyes and 1968's Cry Young, the latter of which returned him to the pop charts for the first time in eight years. Later that year, he moved from Cadet to Impulse, and recorded five albums over the next four years, including the live Montreux Jazz Festival set Freeflight (1971) and Outertimeinnerspace (1972), both of which found him experimenting with the Fender Rhodes electric piano in addition to his standard sound. Additionally, in 1970, he performed an oft-heard version of the theme from the film M.A.S.H. that was included on the soundtrack.

Jamal moved to 20th Century in 1973 for a series of decent-selling albums that kicked off with Ahmad Jamal '73, another session with arranger Richard Evans. Others included 1974's Jamalca, 1975's Jamal Plays Jamal, 1976's One, and 1980's Genetic Walk; of those, the former two made the R&B charts, while Genetic Walk was Jamal's fifth and final album to reach the pop charts. Nasser left the trio in the mid-'70s and was replaced by John Hurd, and the lineup was also expanded to include guitarist Charlie Keys for the 1976 concert set Live at Oil Can Harry's (a one-off for the short-lived Catalyst label).

Ahmad Jamal - piano
Jamil Sulieman - bass
Frank Gant- drums

Comprising two epic improvisations, each occupying an entire side of the LP, Outertimeinnerspace is a challenging but deeply rewarding effort that captures the pianist at his most profoundly spiritual, exploring otherworldly dimensions of space and sound. Jamal, bassist Jamil Nasser, and drummer Frank Gant all deliver performances of uncommon intensity, channeling the energy of the audience into music that pulses with life and crackles with inspiration. Both "Bogota" and "Extensions" demand listeners' full immersion, and reward their efforts with music of uncommon daring.

Tracklist:
01. Introduction/Bogota (Evans) 17:05
02. Extension (Jamal) 19:28

Ahmad Jamal - Outertimeinnerspace (1972)