SKILFUL. Spontaneous. Stylish. A legend jazzed up Kuala Lumpur recently and the audience packed the hall for this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Ahmad Jamal befitted the late-night top billing at the inaugural 2012 Kuala Lumpur International Jazz Festival which ended recently.
He is a recipient of the American National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honour bestowed on jazz artistes by the United States.
He sat on the left side of the stage, facing the wings and not the band. Somehow, he managed to direct the way the music flowed, be it on percussion, drums or bass. The music flowed or marched at times. The most improvised was the jazz standard, Invitation. Sometimes, Jamal paraphrased one part of the melody which then segued into a whole new line, all with a finger pointed or a nod.