University Park, Pa. ---Ahmad Jamal, internationally known jazz pianist and a native of Pittsburgh, will perform at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 23, in Schwab Auditorium, University Park. His performance is part of the ongoing initiative "In Pursuit of Social Justice: Recognizing Pennsylvania Black Artists," sponsored by the Africana Research Center and the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, both at Penn State. Other co-sponsors include the Penn State Jazz Club, UPAC, the School of Music, and the College of Arts and Architecture Diversity Committee.
Jamal's career has spanned five decades. In 1951, he recorded his first record, "Ahmad's Blues" and since that time, he has produced more than 100 recordings, receiving acclaim as one of the finest jazz pianists. His latest releases include two CDs, "In Search of" … Momentum (2003) and "After Fajr" (2005), and a DVD, "Ahmad Jamal: Live in Baalbeck" (2004).
Deemed from the beginning as an innovative and powerful presence in jazz, Jamal's approach to jazz, as an arranger and musician, has been described as "elegant," "complex," "cerebral" and "minimalist." He has long been admired, with his work also recorded by others, most notably Miles Davis.
He has received numerous awards, including the Duke Ellington Fellow Award at Yale University, the American Jazz Masters Fellowship by National Endowment for the Arts, the Choc de L'année Jazzman Award, the Distinguished Service Award (Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, Smithsonian Institute). Moreover, he was inducted in 2003 in the American Jazz Hall of Fame - New Jersey Jazz Society.
This event is open and free to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting March 15 for Penn State students, March 16 for faculty/staff, and March 17 for the general public. Tickets can be obtained at the following box office locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (M-F, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.), HUB-Robeson Center Info Desk (M-F, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.), and Penn State Downtown Theatre (M-Sat., 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.).
For more information contact either the Africana Research Center, at 865-6482, africanacenter.la.psu.edu or the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at 865-0495,
arts-humanities@psu.edu by email.
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