This 1955 session, originally released on an obscure label as Ahmad Jamal Plays, was subsequently reissued by Argo as the much more evocative Chamber Music of the New Jazz. Technically, it is not part of Jamal’s extensive Argo output, but it is his de facto full-length debut (his 1951-1952 recordings for Okeh came out on a later compilation). It is an astounding document of the trio format dubbed the Three Strings, with Jamal on piano, Ray Crawford on guitar and Israel Crosby on bass. The drum-less instrumentation mirrors that of The Nat “King” Cole Trio, a formative influence, although Jamal created his own sound in this idiom from the start, with a light and transparent touch and a ceaseless, free-flowing stream of ideas. Jamal, in turn, had a major impact on Miles Davis, who adopted some of Jamal’s repertoire for his own groups. Cole Porter’s “All of You” became a Davis staple for years, and this version of the instantly memorable “New Rhumba” became the basis for Gil Evans’ stellar arrangement on the 1957 orchestral jazz release Miles Ahead. Davis drummers Philly Joe Jones and Jimmy Cobb would also emulate, at times, the rhythmic accents that Ray Crawford created by tapping the pickup of his guitar.