Khan Jamal - The Traveller (SteepleChase, 1986)

This post is by Dan

Khan Jamal (vib); Johnny Dyani (b); Leroy Lowe (d)

Recorded October 31, 1985

I've already expressed my appreciation for Johnny Dyani and Khan Jamal, so it should not surprise anyone that The Traveller is among my favorites for the 1980s. Unlike Dark Warrior, a quartet date that was recorded a year earlier, The Traveller is a trio outing. Jamal had recorded a trio album a year earlier with Dyani, Pierre Dørge on guitar, and no drummer. That trio was fine, but I prefer The Traveller.

The Traveller can best be described as a "happy" jazz album. Side 1 of the LP is especially joyful beginning with a portrait of Monk on "Thelonious." Monk's own sense of humor was always near the surface of everything he played. "Unsung Heroes" follows in the same vein with Leroy Lowe employing a range of percussion including "just enough" cowbell. "Bells of Joy" is a free-time piece with Dyani playing arco bass and Jamal exploiting the sustained vibrato that vibraphones were designed to produce. The side closes with John Coltrane's "Equinox," one of his darker but simpler compositions. It's mainly a blues, which becomes obvious once Jamal launches into his solo. Dyani's solo extends to the end of the piece where the theme is restated. 

Side 2 begins with "Body and Soul," with Jamal reaching for a rich luxurious sound. The title tune and the finale "Bloom," both penned by Jamal, draw proceedings to a pleasing close. 

Happiness in jazz should not imply superficiality. Jazz artists may be inspired by the whole range of human emotions, including joy. The Traveller proves that the expression of positive emotion requires no sacrifice of instrumental technique or artistic vision.