Saturday Morning La Buissonne Studio Sessions - 180g Double LP + Download

Pianist and DownBeat Hall of Fame member Ahmad Jamal is back with a cohesive studio album that radiates positive energy. Saturday Morning was recorded in a French studio in February with bassist Reginald Veal, drummer Herlin Riley and percussionist Manolo Badrena. One listen to this disc makes one suspect that Jamal is drinking from a magic fountain of youth. The 1958 live album But Not For Me helped make Jamal a star, and more than half a century later, the master is crafting music that is both spiritually uplifting and intellectually stimulating. On Saturday Morning, the 10-minute title track is anchored by the mighty yet flexible mixture of Veal's slinky bass and Jamal's sturdy left-hand work. Among the other original compositions are the quirky "Silver" (written as a tribute to Horace Silver) and the Caribbean-inflected "Back To The Future." Jamal also offers gorgeous renditions of the standards "I'm In The Mood For Love" and "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good." The original tune "The Line" features a funk undercurrent that is built by all four players, and this studio version makes me yearn to hear it in concert. Downbeat Magazine.