Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records reissues Khan Jamal’s rare 1984 spiritual soul jazz masterpiece ‘Infinity’
Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records, who has been putting out a number of stellar releases over the past couple of years, has recently reissued vibraphonist Khan Jamal’s highly obscure 1984 spiritual soul jazz masterpiece Infinity.
This brilliant five-track album nicely balances hypnotic spiritual melodies with soul jazz grooves and layered percussion rhythms. Even though it was recorded in the mid-eighties, the recording captures the vibe of those classic late-sixties albums on Blue Note, Prestige, and Impulse!. One of the many standout tracks, “The Known Unknown” became a favorite among DJs and collectors during the Acid Jazz heydays of the 1990s.
Jamal is backed by a superb cast of musicians on this session, including alto saxophonist great Byard Lancaster, Clifton Burton on harmonica, Bernard Sammul on piano, Reggie Curry on bass, Omar Hill on percussion and congas, and free jazz legend Sunny Murray on drums.
With originals very hard to come by and going for upwards of $1000, shoutout to Jazz Room Records for making this long out-of-print “holy grail” available again for wider audiences to enjoy. Absolutely essential!
Khan Jamal — ‘Infinity’
(Originally released: 1984 / Jambrio)
(Reissued: 2021 / Jazz Room Records)
- Nubian Queen
- Infinity
- Lovely Afternoon
- The Known Unknown
- The Angry Young Man
