Ahmad Jamal turns 90

Still a big influence on jazz pianists the world over Ahmad Jamal, who celebrates his 90th birthday today, is still a force to be reckoned with as last year's Ballades showed in abundance. Jamal has been a recording artist since 1951 and on Ballades duetted in part with bassist James Cammack on a third of the album although Ballades was more than a lap of honour, and folded in some astounding treatments of standards including a greatest “hit” and is one to cherish. Go straight to ‘Emily’ and of course linger over ‘Poinciana’ that featured on the classic album At the Pershing: But Not for Me. Listen also to the reflective, gently inuring, ‘Whisperings’ one of the three original compositions on the album, a song first recorded by O. C. Smith of ‘Little Green Apples’ fame that Jamal has recorded before.

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Looking ahead to the autumn, and alas nothing to share as yet but a word on something I heard yesterday that I think you will be interested in when September release comes around. Having said that Krononaut's self titled debut Krononaut is hard to describe. I suppose it is ''futurejazz,'' that style that took its cue from Nils Petter Molvær's experiments in the 1990s, and amounts to a sparse, electronic coated ambient world that uses the language of jazz and much else for its effects and has a certain loose spaciousness and plenty of power to it.

To be released on the tak:til / Glitterbeat label, a record company who have worked with Seb Rochford recently on his new band Pulled By Magnets, Krononaut has Brian Eno guitarist Leo Abrahams and Spin Marvel drummer Martin France (pictured) at its core with quite a bunch of interesting collaborators from various backgrounds playing their part on a number of tracks and who include Tim Harries, Shahzad Ismaily, Matana Roberts and Arve Henriksen. Make a mental note for now.

Ahmad Jamal turns 90

Krononaut to debut this autumn