Ahmad Jamal is 72 years old. How many other septuagenarians do you know who are at the top of their game? And we're not talking about how well he plays for an old guy. We're talking about how well he plays. Period. Forget his age. At a recent NY gig, he had jazz pianists from all generations coming in and checking out his amazing chops, conception, verve, and spirit.

I'll admit it, I didn't really used to like the piano trio format. I thought there wasn't enough going on, generally. Too monochromatic. Not exotic enough. But I've changed my mind, and it's some of the younger players like Ethan Iverson, Craig Taborn, Jean-Michel Pilc, and Matthew Shipp that got me hooked on this format. Which has led me to explore some of the more established players like Abdullah Ibrahim , Monty Alexander, and Ahmad Jamal.

In Search of finds Jamal as energized and galvanizing as I've ever heard him. I was impressed with some of his recent Birdology dates, esp. the one with George Coleman. But something brilliant is going on here that, despite his recent fine releases, makes this disc among the best he's ever recorded.

A very percussive (esp. at the bottom of the piano) and rhythmically and harmonically sophisticated player, he can nevertheless be delicate and very fleet-fingered where called for (check out his playing on "You Can See" for the full Jamal arsenal in all its grandeur).

Highlights for me include new originals "Island Fever" (I very much like his quirky take on Afro-Latin rhythms and sensibilities), "Excerpts from I'll Take 20," really just a teaser of a much longer work, which, I must say, sounds very promising, and "Where Are You Now," with it's brilliant structure and chord voicings." A big surprise for me was how much I like "Whisperings," a vocal number featuring O.C. Smith, a truly gifted jazz singer, himself up there in years. I say a surprise, because I don't generally like jazz vocals that much and because that kind of thing can unnecessarily disrupt the flow of what otherwise might be a seamlessly proceeding endeavor. Fortunately, the vibe remains in tact, and one ends up thankful for this slight departure.

I continue to rejoice in the glories of so many superior, even definitive, jazz releases in the first part of 2003, this being one of the very best.

Well, there are piano trio records and there...is this amazing piece of work. Brilliantly played, brilliantly written and brilliantly recorded. I've long been a fan of the piano trio format (unlike the previous reviewer) but this CD is of revelatory quality. The first track alone is worth the entry fee as Jamal's individual style (which mixes delicacy at the high end and thunder and lightning at the low end of the keyboard)sucks you in. Then you find yourself hearing Idris Muhammed's drumming almost as a piece in itself and the bass playing is of equal quality. Enough raving by this obviously delighted reviewer! If you've read this far then you can stop. Because you need time to hop on the internet and buy this CD. P.S. It's not dinner party music. This CD demands to be listened to. Put it on and amaze your friends.

This one took a few listens to grow on me: one's initial impression is of outlandish mannerism, with Jamal constantly building for pummelling climaxes & then dropping back to a dead whisper. Yet give it time: there's plenty that's idiosyncratic here but nothing illogical, & fans of Monk or (believe it or not) early Cecil Taylor will find themselves right at home. Jamal writes some terrific tunes--"In Search Of" is incomparably fierce & probing, "Island Fever" is balmy, "I'll Take the 20" is a thrilling ride even in its telescoped presentation here. One track, "Whisperings", has vocals by the late OC Smith (of "Little Green Apples" game); it is unexpectedly one of the album's highlights. (What's the last time you could say that of a jazz album with a "featured vocalist"?) The rest of the repertoire is equally challenging: some unhackneyed choices of standards ("I've Never Been in Love Before", "Where Are You", & "I'll Always Be With You") & a Monty Alexander tune, the delightful "You Can See". -- The rhythm section--Jammes Cammack on bass, Idris Muhammad on drums--is never thrust into the spotlight with solo features, but Jamal interacts so closely with them--devilish feints & parries, dropouts & crescendos, allusive sketchy passages & hard-swinging passages--that they're never exactly "background" either. All in all, a stunning album from the old master, & among the year's best mainstream jazz discs. Do try.