Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones; July 2, 1930 – April 16, 2023) was a jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator from the United States. He was one of the most effective small-group leaders in jazz for six decades. He was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy for his contributions to music history.
How did Ahmad Jamal learn piano?
Jamal began playing at the age of three when his uncle Lawrence challenged him to mimic what he was doing on the piano.
Jamal began professional piano lessons at the age of seven with Mary Cardwell Dawson, whom he credits as substantially inspiring him.
He also studied with pianist James Miller and began playing the piano professionally when he was fourteen years old.
In 1951, Jamal formed his own trio to perform as the house band for Chicago’s Pershing Hotel Lounge.
Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me, his 1958 smash album, was recorded at the famed Black-owned establishment.
Following the popularity of the record, he opened his own Chicago club, the Alhambra, where he recorded numerous records until it went down in 1997.
Meanwhile, Jamal, who was born to Baptist parents, discovered Islam in his adolescence. He grew interested in Islam and Islamic culture while traveling in Detroit, where there was a substantial Muslim community in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1950, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Jamal.
