Khan Jamal

Khan Jamal was an American jazz vibraphonist, bandleader, and composer based in Philadelphia. A key figure in the city's wildly creative jazz scene, he cut his teeth on hard bop, free jazz, and vanguard jazz. His instantly identifiable warm polyrhythmic sound readily referenced the vibraphone's African origins, and his playing offered a dark, intense yet grooving vibrato that added a contrasting dimension to the cheerful tones usually associated with the instrument. Jamal co-founded the free funk septet Sounds of Liberation with saxophonist Byard Lancaster. Their 1972 self-tit...