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Ahmad Jamal Kickedoff Jazz at Linclon Center

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A Pianist Fully in Charge of Everything He Surveys

Ahmad Jamal stood up repeatedly from the piano at the Rose Theater on Thursday night, almost always during a song. His reasons had to do with the act of management, which plays an important role in his music. Sometimes he turned to face the rest of his rhythm section, as if to observe its progress or pass silent judgment. Sometimes he was making an announcement, or cuing the big band onstage. It was the kickoff for Jazz at Lincoln Centers new season, but the timing felt almost incidental. Mr. Jamal had the floor, unequivocally, and he wasnt interested in behaving like a guest.

He has earned the right to his authority, of course. At one point in the concerts first half, which featured his quartet, he noted that it was the 50th anniversary of that record we made in Chicago, referring to At the Pershing: But Not for Me, a landmark album. And with your permission, he added, drawing from that album, Poinciana. His tone suggested the gentlemanly flourish of a museum director whisking the shroud off a treasured piece.

Not that Mr. Jamal, 78, has consigned his own work to the exhibition hall. He treated Poinciana the way most seasoned pros treat a signature hit: pragmatically. (If only he had better regulated the percussionist Manolo Badrena, whose tick-tock shaker work marred the airy lilt of the tune.) Elsewhere Mr. Jamal drew largely from Its Magic (Dreyfus), an impressive album released just a few months ago.

Dynamic contrast is his trademark, and here, on a new song called Papillon, he went bananas with it. After a chiming prelude, he eased into fluttery waltz tempo, pulling along his responsive bassist, James Cammack, and his careful drummer, James Johnson. From that foundation he set off a cycle of stillness and disruption. He seemed invested in both the pebble and the pond.

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