Life has been crazy the past couple weeks, months... But I recently managed to point my middle finger at everything and take a couple hours to throw records in my apartment... with just the right amount of scotch (Glenfiddich, how could I live without you?). Strange how nice it is to do nothing except enjoy music. Strange how easy it is to forget that feeling, forget that option — even when you most need these things.

One of the stand-outs of my little escape was Ahmad Jamal's 1972 Reevaluations: The Impulse Years. Beautiful record. Ahmad is light yet passionate on his keys, tripping all up and down the board, not afraid to break off and go nuts, but always catching himself before things got too carried away. That's a little bit like how I feel right now, only my fumblings seem a lot less graceful. But who ever said grad school was easy? Thesis, bah.

But back to the music... Ahmad Jamal has long been one of my favorite musicians — not only of Jazz musicians, not only keyboard players, but of musicians. One of those Pittsburgh-bred holy-men, Jamal has played with all the greats.

Tranquility has always been my favorite cut on this record. Melancholy, playful, the ultimate haunting bi-polar, with the slant forever towards the dark. Recorded in 1968 and produced by the great Bob Thiele, this recording of Tranquility might be eclipsed buy other great tunes of the time... but for a cool, relaxing evening, it's hard to beat.

download Tranquility [local - 20mb]