A great composer and conductor, the legendary Ahmad Jamal influenced the work of musicians such as trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist McCoy Tyner. It was in his big house in Ashley Falls where he had his pianos and his recording studio, in Massachusetts, that he died on Sunday at the age of 92, from prostate cancer, “in the arms of his daughter,” announced his manager and French producer Seydou Barry.
Jazz legend, piano virtuoso, he was also considered the grandfather of hip-hop as his work has been sampled by rappers and beatmakers starting with Jay-Z, La Soul and Nas. He himself attracted many young people to his concerts, which he was delighted with. He was made Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France in 2007. His career has been rewarded with multiple awards including a Grammy for all of his work in 2017. In cinema, Clint Eastwood, a great jazz lover , used two of his titles in his film On the Road to Madison with Meryl Streep.
From Gers, Jean-Louis Guilhaumon, founder and director of the Marciac Jazz Festival, paid tribute to his friend.
“Ahmad Jamal was a lord. He came to Marciac thirteen times between 1992 and 2019. He is the second musician behind Winston Marsalis to have come so often. In 2016, he had given only one concert in the year and it was here in the Gers. In 2019, rebelote and it was also his last concert. He offered us this world exclusivity to mark his attachment to Marciac and I am very proud of it. He was a great jazz pianist and a friend. In 1998, he came to replace at short notice an artist who had had the impropriety to make two engagements at the same time. Ahmad Jamal was a gentleman who cared about good behavior. In the jazz world, he was of rare elegance. He also helped us with programming by pointing out new talents such as Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara. She came back several times and backstage after the concert, we had fun taking a selfie and sending it to Ahmad Jamal who was still at his house in Massachusetts.
He also had a close relationship with his fans who brought him specially cooked meals for him. He had no particular requirements, he slept indifferently at the Hôtel de Marciac or in Tarbes, he just took care of his figure. He had been diabetic for decades and ate very healthy food. He didn’t take advantage of being in the Gers to taste foie gras and other confits like others here (laughs, editor’s note). This is also why he will have lived to be 92 years old. He leaves a huge void even if the new generation is there.”
