The Awakening (Ahmad Jamal album)

The Awakening is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in 1970 for the Impulse! label.^[1]

The Awakening
Studio album by Ahmad Jamal
Released	1970
Recorded	February 2–3, 1970
Genre	Cool jazz, post-bop
Length	40:34
Label	Impulse!
Producer	Ed Michel
Ahmad Jamal chronology
Ahmad Jamal at the Top: Poinciana Revisited (1968) The Awakening (1970) Freeflight (1971)

Production

The album was recorded at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City on February 2 and 3, 1970.^[2] It was produced by Ed Michel, whose production credits also include jazz and blues artists such as John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, John Coltrane, and Alice Coltrane.^[3] The liner notes were written by jazz historian Leonard Feather.^[4]

Critical reception

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "By 1970, pianist Ahmad Jamal's style had changed a bit since the 1950s, becoming denser and more adventurous while still retaining his musical identity... Intriguing performances showing that Ahmad Jamal was continuing to evolve".^[2]

Writing in Pitchfork, Michael J. Agovino writes that the album "is a fine example of Jamal’s stately—and understated—elegance punctuated with doodles of whimsy".^[5]

Retrospectively, the album has had an influence in Hip hop music culture and production, with artists such as Nas and Common sampling tracks from the album for their work.^[6][7]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Pitchfork	(8.0/10)[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[8]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[9]

Track listing

1. "The Awakening" (Ahmad Jamal) – 6:19
2. "I Love Music" (Emil Boyd, Hale Smith) – 7:19
3. "Patterns" (Ahmad Jamal) – 6:19
4. "Dolphin Dance" (Herbie Hancock) – 5:05
5. "You're My Everything" (Harry Warren, Joe Young, Mort Dixon) – 4:40
6. "Stolen Moments" (Oliver Nelson) – 6:27
7. "Wave" (Antônio Carlos Jobim) – 4:25

Personnel

• Ahmad Jamal – piano
• Jamil Nasser – bass
• Frank Gant – drums

Charts

2023 chart performance for The Awakening

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10]	187
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11]	42