Ahmad Jamal – the acclaimed jazz pianist who influenced Miles Davis – has died
nme.comMiles Davis, passed away at his home in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts yesterday (April 16). The cause of death was prostate cancer, his daughter Sumayah Jamal told the New York Times.The late musician – known for his sparse, less-is-more playing style – received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master award, and picked up a Lifetime Achievement Grammy for his contributions to music history.Jamal labelled jazz “American classical music”, and said that he liked to honour what he described as the spaces in the music.He began his seven-decade career in the genre as a teenager during the bebop era.However, Jamal’s musical style quickly evolved and became influential.
Commercial success followed with ‘At The Pershing: But Not For Me’ (1958) – one of the biggest-selling instrumental albums of that time.The late Miles Davis once said that “all my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal”.In his autobiography, he also wrote that Jamal “knocked me out with his concept of space, his lightness of touch, his understatement, and the way he phrased notes and chords and passages” (via BBC News).The likes of Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett had also cited Jamal as an influence.
His piano riffs were sampled by artists in the hip-hop world including Nas and De La Soul decades later.During an interview with the New York Times in 2022, Jamal said he was “still evolving, whenever I sit down at the piano”, adding: “I still come up with some fresh ideas.”Paying tribute on social media, Questlove shared a black-and-white image of Jamal. “A blessed life,” he wrote in the caption. “Respect.”A post shared by Questlove (@questlove)Badbadnotgood posted: “Rest in paradise to Ahmad Jamal.
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