My favorite jazz album
But Not for Me: Live at the Pershing (Ahmad Jamal Trio, 1958)
If I want to share an album with someone who's exploring jazz for the first time, this is the one I recommend. You can hear the bustle of a dinner club in the background, silverware clinking together and patrons having conversation and enjoying each others company. The music is perfect in every way. The band is so tight. The pocket is deep and effortless.
The title track, But Not for Me, tells you everything you need to know about the vibe of this whole record. It's relaxed. It's in the pocket. It's immaculate.
Ahmad Jamal on piano,
Israel Crosby on bass,
and Vernel Fournier on drums.
