At the Pershing: But Not for Me
Encyclopedia
At the Pershing: But Not for Me is a 1958 jazz
album
by pianist Ahmad Jamal
. According to the album jacket, the tapes were made on January 16, 1958, at the Pershing Lounge of Chicago's Pershing Hotel and each set played that night was recorded, a total of 43 tracks, of which 8 were selected by Jamal for the album. The LP was released as Argo Records LP-628. Jamal's previous releases on Argo had been from previously made masters; this was his first release recorded for Argo, and his first album recorded live.
review was mildly negative, referring to Jamal as playing "cocktail music"; the reviewer acknowledged Jamal's skill and influence on other jazz musician such as Miles Davis, but wrote, "The trio's chief virtue is an excellent, smooth light but flexible beat", and "Throughout the music is kept emotionally, melodically, and organizationally innocuous." In August 1958, Jet Magazine referred to the album as "a nationwide hit".
The same month, Down Beat posted the album sales counts at over 47,000, noting that any album selling 15,000 to 20,000 is "big." The December 1958 Down Beat poll of music retailers showed that the album was the "number one jazz bestseller", and it stayed on Billboard Magazine album charts for 107 weeks.
When Jamal was named one of the National Endowment for the Arts
1994 Masters of Jazz, the album was listed as having sold "more than a million copies."
The album yielded the seven-and-a-half minute "Poinciana" which was a "massive jazz hit"; one of "the best selling albums of the decade, But Not For Mes success enabled Jamal to open his own club and restaurant, the Alhambra, where his band held residence when not on tour."
On NPR
, Murray Horwitz and A.B. Spellman noted that "Poinciana" became "standard dance music" at parties, and, abridged, appeared on jukeboxes, because "Jamal lets the bass and drums establish a Latin groove that's very appealing. He floats lightly on top of it in a spare, tightly constructed series of embellishments that's full of what the popular music people call 'hooks.' There's a lot of repetition but no redundancy, if you know what I mean."
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by pianist Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal is an innovative and influential American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker...
. According to the album jacket, the tapes were made on January 16, 1958, at the Pershing Lounge of Chicago's Pershing Hotel and each set played that night was recorded, a total of 43 tracks, of which 8 were selected by Jamal for the album. The LP was released as Argo Records LP-628. Jamal's previous releases on Argo had been from previously made masters; this was his first release recorded for Argo, and his first album recorded live.
Reception
The 1958 Down BeatDown Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
review was mildly negative, referring to Jamal as playing "cocktail music"; the reviewer acknowledged Jamal's skill and influence on other jazz musician such as Miles Davis, but wrote, "The trio's chief virtue is an excellent, smooth light but flexible beat", and "Throughout the music is kept emotionally, melodically, and organizationally innocuous." In August 1958, Jet Magazine referred to the album as "a nationwide hit".
The same month, Down Beat posted the album sales counts at over 47,000, noting that any album selling 15,000 to 20,000 is "big." The December 1958 Down Beat poll of music retailers showed that the album was the "number one jazz bestseller", and it stayed on Billboard Magazine album charts for 107 weeks.
When Jamal was named one of the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
1994 Masters of Jazz, the album was listed as having sold "more than a million copies."
The album yielded the seven-and-a-half minute "Poinciana" which was a "massive jazz hit"; one of "the best selling albums of the decade, But Not For Mes success enabled Jamal to open his own club and restaurant, the Alhambra, where his band held residence when not on tour."
On NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, Murray Horwitz and A.B. Spellman noted that "Poinciana" became "standard dance music" at parties, and, abridged, appeared on jukeboxes, because "Jamal lets the bass and drums establish a Latin groove that's very appealing. He floats lightly on top of it in a spare, tightly constructed series of embellishments that's full of what the popular music people call 'hooks.' There's a lot of repetition but no redundancy, if you know what I mean."
Track listing
- "But Not For MeBut Not for Me (song)"But Not for Me" is a popular song, composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.It was written for their musical Girl Crazy and introduced in the original production by Ginger Rogers. It is also in the 1992 musical based on Girl Crazy, Crazy for You...
" - "The Surrey with the Fringe on TopThe Surrey With the Fringe On Top"The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" is a show tune from the 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma! It is the second song of the show, following the opening number, "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'."...
" - "Moonlight In VermontMoonlight in Vermont (song)"Moonlight in Vermont" is a popular song about the U.S. state of Vermont, written by John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf and published in 1943. The lyrics are unusual in that they do not rhyme...
" - (Put Another Nickel In) Music, Music, Music
- "No Greater Love"
- "Poinciana"
- "Woody 'N You"
- "What's New?What's New?"What's New?" is a 1939 popular song composed by Bob Haggart, with lyrics by Johnny Burke.It was originally an instrumental tune titled "I'm Free" by Haggart in 1938, when Haggart was a member of Bob Crosby and His Orchestra. The tune was written with a trumpet solo, meant to showcase the talents...
"
Credits
- Ahmad Jamal – PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Israel CrosbyIsrael CrosbyIsrael Crosby was an African-American jazz double-bassist born in Chicago, Illinois, best known as member of the Ahmad Jamal trio from 1957-1962...
- Double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Vernel FournierVernel fournierVernel Anthony Fournier and, from 1975, known as Amir Rushdan, was a jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Ahmad Jamal from 1956 to 1962....
- Drums - Malcolm Chisholm - Recording Engineer
- Dave Usher - Album Producer
External links
- At the Pershing: But Not for Me at Discogs.com
- Ahmad Jamal's Poinciana turns 50 today. Jazz.com. Ted Gioia.
Further reading
- Cook, Richard, and Brian Morton. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. London: Penguin, 2006.
- Yanow, Scott. Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2003.