Ahmad Jamal, influential jazz pianist, dead at 92
thefader.comAhmad Jamal, the jazz pianist best known for his arrangement of "Poinciana," has died at 92. News of his passing was first confirmed to The Washington Post by Jamal's wife, Laura Hess-Hey, on Sunday.
His daughter, Sumayah Jamal, later confirmed to the New York Times that the cause of death was prostate cancer. Born Frederick Russell Jones in Pittsburgh in 1930, Jamal was introduced to music when an uncle taught him to play piano.
He went on to release over 70 albums, ranging from solo piano work to compositions with string quartets. Among that collection of albums are the best-selling 1958 project Live at the Pershing: But Not For Me, and the 1970 Ahmad Jamal Trio collaboration The Awakening.
In his youth, Jamal studied under National Negro Opera Company founder Mary Cardwell Dawson as well as pianist James Miller.
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