Ahmad Jamal Count em 88 (1956) & At The Spotlight Cafe (1958)

With a beautifully economical piano style full of grace, depth, tone, and plenty of swing, Ahmad Jamal is simply one of the greatest pianists in the history of jazz, but he has been woefully underexposed, even as he has been a giant influence in the genre, on Miles Davis, for one, and Gil Evans, who flirted with Jamal's chamber jazz style. This set collects eight of Jamal's seminal albums, 1955's Chamber Music of the New Jazz, 1956's Count 'Em 88, 1958's Ahmad Jamal Trio at the Spotlight Café and Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me, 1959's Jamal at the Penthouse, 1960's Happy Moods, and 1961's All of You and Standard Eyes, all in one package. Together they form perhaps Jamal's richest creative stretch, making this set a welcome delight.