Ahmad Jamal rocks MCA Jazz trio delivers goods brilliantly

A wave of breathless anticipation preceded Ahmad Jamal’s entrance onto the stage Friday at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono.

Legendary for his whirlwind finger work on the piano, Jamal is one of the great classical jazz players, and it was clear that an evening with him and his trio would be a brush with brilliance.

It was. Jamal, his longtime bassist James Cammack, and drummer Idris Muhammad hit a rollicking stride early on. Moving from boogies to waltzes to modernist, minimalist musings, the musicians delivered an exuberant and sophisticated concert through its two sets.

Jamal’s reputation for using silence was confirmed in his tender movements and restful patience with the music, especially in “Should I.” He also broke into moments of virtuosic frenzy. A rendition of “Topsy Turvy,” a Jamal standard, turned out to be his own personal “Flight of the Bumble Bee.”

Quite apart from his arpeggios, rambling repertory and handiwork with scales and jumping hand movements, Jamal offered music that was voluptuous, exotic and poetic, reaching deeply into himself and the audience. Yet this was bright, open music – both intellectual and spirited.

Jamal led the trio with graceful hand gestures from the piano, and he spoke to the audience in friendly tones during breaks. A number of those who attended worried that Jamal’s playing would be too arcane to understand. They were pleasantly surprised by the accessibility of the music.

When the group returned after intermission, Jamal practically leaped to the piano, catapulting into a mix of his own compositions and those of other jazz greats, such as George Gershwin. He delighted in solos by his colleagues, too. Cammack, who once played with Nancy Wilson and with the West Point Academy band, did a solo in the second set that had the drive and flourish of Jimi Hendrix. The New Orleans-based Muhammad, whose background is on Broadway and as a sideman to Joe Lovano, Fats Domino and Roberta Flack, worked the cymbals for a reflective solo that ended in a snare flourish. Also, his performance in “In Search of” matched Jamal’s relentless and aggressive energy on the piano.

It’s no wonder the group received two standing ovations.

The only disappointing part of the evening was the attendance.

When Jamal played at the Sydney Opera House in Australia earlier this year, he filled the 2,679-seat hall. He plays regularly to sell-out crowds. In Orono, 450 enthusiastic audience members – less than a third of the hall’s capacity – turned out for what is sure to be one of the most astounding events of the season.

Very few university music students or their professors attended, and it was an embarrassing under-appreciation of both a cultural and educational experience. Kudos to the MCA for hosting such a master. Shame on the university for not filling the seats with students hungry for artistic history, excellence and beauty.