Although they were not Ahmad Jamal’s first recordings, the 1958 Pershing and Spotlite performances marked the beginning of his success. The original album But Not for Me, taped at the Pershing Lounge in Chicago on January 16 & 17, 1958, included eight of the 43 tunes played by the trio, which were carefully selected by the pianist himself. For this reason, they are also the first eight tracks on our collection. Two years later, the album’s success tempted the original producers to release eleven more tunes (tracks 9-19), which were again selected under the supervision of Jamal’s attentive ears. It is believed that the unused material was put aside and subsequently lost. This CD brings together all known material plus a rare bonus track.

PERSONNEL:

AHMAD JAMAL, piano
ISRAEL CROSBY, bass
VERNELL FOURNIER, drums

Live at the Pershing Lounge, Chicago, January 16 & 17, 1958.

TRACKS:

01 BUT NOT FOR ME (George & Ira Gershwin) 3:32
02 THE SURREY WITH THE FRINGE ON TOP (Rodgers-Hammerstein II) 2:35
03 MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT (Sussdorf-Blackburn) 3:09
04 MUSIC! MUSIC! MUSIC! (PUT ANOTHER NICKEL) (Weiss-Baum) 2:56
05 THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE (Jones-Symes) 3:26
06 POINCIANA (Simon-Bernier) 8:07
07 WOODY ‘N YOU (Dizzy Gillespie) 3:40
08 WHAT’S NEW? (Haggart-Burke) 4:12
09 TOO LATE NOW (Lane-Lerner) 2:32
10 ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE (Kern-Hammerstein II) 3:12
11 CHEROKEE (Ray Noble) 3:42
12 IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING (Rodgers-Hammerstein II) 3:27
13 I’LL REMEMBER APRIL (Raye-DePaul-Johnston) 2:41
14 MY FUNNY VALENTINE (Rodgers-Hart) 3:27
15 GONE WITH THE WIND (Magidson-Grubel) 3:24
16 BILLY BOY (Traditional/Arr. Jamal) 3:00
17 IT’S YOU OR NO ONE (Styne-Cahn) 3:34
18 THEY CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME (George & Ira Gershwin) 4:45
19 POOR BUTTERFLY (Hubbell-Golden) 3:39
20 POINCIANA (Simon-Bernier) (Single version)* 3:01

Total Time: 72:01
*Bonus track