Khan Jamal Infinity

Description

Throughout the early 1970s and 80s, vibraphonist Khan Jamal was a key figure in a wildly creative and largely underrecognized Philadelphia jazz scene. From Sun Ras Arkestra to Odean Popes jazz fusion outfit Catalyst to the free-funk experiments of Jamal and Byard Lancasters Sounds Of Liberation, this was a time when Philly was ripe with musicians playing forward-thinking, progressive jazz. With many of these acts recording for small independent labels, most records have gone out of print. This was the case with Jamals 1984 opus Infinity, long considered a holy grail amongst rare jazz collectors. Jazz Rooms reissue of the highly sought-after gem puts on full display Jamals brilliance as an instrumentalist and bandleader.

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Featuring a crew of heavy hittersByard Lancaster on flute and alto sax; Sunny Murray and Dwight James on drums; Omar Hill playing percussion; Reggie Curry on bass; Bernard Sammul handling piano duties; and Clifton Burton playing harmonicathe playing throughout the album is powerful, intuitive, and diverse. Stylistically, the album swings from the lush and optimistic Afro-Latin sound of Nubian Queen to the frantically-paced post-bop of The Angry Young Man. The albums spiritual centerpiece is the hypnotic, Coltrane-inspired tune The Known Unknown. With its regal and majestic theme, as well as some truly inspired playing from Jamal and Sammul in particular, The Known Unknown speaks to the sheer quality of the music that Jamal and his cohort were making at the time. For many listeners, Infinity will be a worthy introduction to Khan Jamal and his work, and this reissue will go a long way in granting us access to what was, previously, a nearly-impossible-to-acquire classic. Bandcamp