Ahmad Jamal: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1964/1965-1966 

If you ever needed a comprehensive introduction to the appeal of Ahmad Jamal’s straight bop work, the two volumes of Emerald City Nights may just do the trick. The dual two-disc sets (out on both CD and vinyl LP) come from tapes—found by jazz tape detective Zev Feldman—that capture the piano maestro across four years of performances at Seattle’s Penthouse club with four different bands. The variation across the two albums shows Jamal’s ever-evolving sense of performance and band direction across those years