| The Awakening | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Ahmad Jamal |
| Cover: | The Awakening (Ahmad Jamal album).jpg |
| Released: | 1970 |
| Recorded: | February 2–3, 1970 |
| Genre: | Cool jazz, post-bop |
| Length: | 40:34 |
| Label: | Impulse! |
| Producer: | Ed Michel |
| Chronology: | Ahmad Jamal |
| Prev Year: | 1968 |
| Next Title: | Freeflight |
| Next Year: | 1971 |
The Awakening is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in 1970 for the Impulse! label.[1]
The album was recorded at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City on February 2 and 3, 1970. It was produced by Ed Michel, whose production credits also include jazz and blues artists such as John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, John Coltrane, and Alice Coltrane.[2] The liner notes were written by jazz historian Leonard Feather.[3]
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "By 1970, pianist Ahmad Jamal's style had changed a bit since the 1950s, becoming denser and more adventurous while still retaining his musical identity... Intriguing performances showing that Ahmad Jamal was continuing to evolve".[4]
Writing in Pitchfork, Michael J. Agovino writes that the album "is a fine example of Jamal’s stately—and understated—elegance punctuated with doodles of whimsy".[5]
Retrospectively, the album has had an influence in Hip hop music culture and production, with artists such as Nas and Common sampling tracks from the album for their work.