But you can get a big bunch of classic Ahmad Jamal on these albums for not too much money. If I was a "Too Big To Fail" banker who had just gotten a million dollar bonus via the taxpayers, of course I would jump on the Mosaic set. This one is really cheap if you get it used, probably less than $5 shipped. Still, there are several cuts here I would not want to live without. Sound quality of the cuts on this one vary, and a few are from needledrops. I also recommend the collection Priceless Jazz, which has a few tracks which duplicate on the ones above, but has some very nice other tracks that I especially like - some of his best work, IMO. Currently you can get this for $8 new from an amazon marketplace seller (incl. This is available from an amazon marketplace seller for around $16 incl shipping, or less for a serviceable used copy.Īhmad's Blues - This contains a lot of material from generally that time period, and no duplication with the above album that I know of. I don't know what sources were used, but the result is more than satisfactory IMO. The sound quality is, considering that the original recordings were not audiophile-level, very very good. To get what I consider the best of the best classic Ahmad Jamal Trio material, my advice would be to buy these two albums:Ĭross Country Tour 1958-1961, which combines material from several albums, and has 3/4 of his biggest/best album But Not For Me.
I can't imagine dropping $150 on a CD set of an artist I'm not familiar with, but that's me. Click to expand.The Mosaic set is expensive, and I'm sure they'll try to do a good mastering.