''Recorded Live at Oil Can Harry's'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

by American

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the Musical ...

Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones; July 2, 1930 – April 16, 2023) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. For six decades, he was one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. He was a NEA Jazz Ma ...

, featuring four pieces recorded at Oil Can Harry's, a nightclub in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, on August 13, 1976. Performing with Jamal are

Calvin Keys Calvin Keys (February 6, 1942 – April 14, 2024) was an American jazz guitarist, known for the several albums he released for Black Jazz Records.AllMusic Discography/ref> Keys performed and recorded with Ray Charles, Ahmad Jamal, Jimmy Smith ...

on guitar, John Heard on double bass,

Frank Gant Frank Gant (born May 26, 1931- July 19, 2021) was an American jazz drummer. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Gant recorded with Donald Byrd, Sonny Stitt, and extensively with Yusef Lateef in the late 1950s and then Red Garland before becoming a membe ...

on drums and Seldon Newton on percussion. Catalyst Records released the album in 1976. Michael K. Leader, president of Leader Cinema Systems, was the recording engineer for the album. He confirmed that Canadian producer Gary Barclay was the producer of this album, not Ahmad Jamal. The Oil Can Harry’s August 8, 1975 performance was recorded live for the 'Saturday All Nite Jazz Show' on Barclay's Vancouver station,

CHQM-FM CHQM-FM (103.5 FM) is a Canadian radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. It broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour and airs an adult contemporary format. It is owned by Bell Media. ...

Track listing

Reception

Jazz reviewer/historian

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

awarded the album four stars. He mentions in his review that the album "gives listeners an excellent example of the playing of pianist Ahmad Jamal in the mid-1970s". Unfortunately, on the CD version of this concert, Jamal’s unaccompanied piano solo on the introduction of “Folklore” was severely edited. Some existing LP versions include the complete solo, and these are well worth searching for.

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Jazz Ahmad Jamal live albums 1976 live albums Catalyst Records (jazz) live albums