WAKE UP

The Ahmad Jamal Trio: Dolphin Dance
The Ahmad Jamal Trio: Stolen Moments
From The Awakening (Impulse!, 1970)

Hands down, one of the finest jazz piano albums for its era and certainly the best of his Jamal’s Impulse! years. There is something so subtle and understated yet soulful about Jamal’s playing here. Practically every song off this LP is rich beyond words, but I’m partial to these two: the first a cover of Herbie Hancock, the latter of Oliver Nelson’s best-known composition. Both are beautiful.