A small batch of Ahmad Jamal, Etta James, Stafford James and Illinois Jacquet. 

Ahmad Jamal – At the Pershing – Such a classic that there isn’t much to say other than it’s amazing.  Vernell Fournier swings ridiculously hard on this record, and has the best rivet cymbal sound of all time.  Israel Crosby’s lines warrant very close examination.  Incredible.  Essential.

Etta James – Seven Year Itch – I think I bought this for the first time in about 1990 so I could learn “Damn Your Eyes” for a blues band that I auditioned for.  They were the type of band that only wanted to play exactly what was on the record, so if you didn’t learn every single note exactly, and/or if you were interested in improvising, you weren’t the cat.  I wasn’t the cat.  I like this record, but only for those sentimental reasons.  That is, I don’t like the sound of this record, so I’m not racing to listen to it over and over again.  Etta’s best work was a few years earlier, and I think that great blues musicians had their music tainted in the ’80s by too much reverb and compression.  Having said that, she’s still killer, and any record with even a drop of Steve Cropper is worth checking out.  As always, Willie Weeks is the man.

Stafford James – Ensemble – I like Stafford James; I like him a lot, even though I haven’t heard many records with him on it.  I really appreciate his direct sound (both because of the recording and because of technique), and his beat and his note choices.  I like the almost unapologetic way that he plays, and the commanding way that he pushes a band.  That’s what’s up on this record.  Harold Maybern and Louis Hayes sound incredible as always, but I wish there was a little list bright on Frank Stozier’s sound.  Otherwise, an unusual and very interesting record.

Illinois Jacquet – Banned in Boston – Scott Yanow writes that “nothing happens” on this record, and…he’s sort of right.  It’s a strong, typical swinging record with great musicians on it, but there are few (if any) really mind blowing moments on here.  George Duvivier makes everything great, as always.