Khan Jamal (July 23, 1946 – January 10, 2022), born Warren Robert Cheeseboro, was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He founded the band Sounds of Liberation in 1970. He was described by Ron Wynn as "a proficient soloist when playing free material, jazz-rock and fusion, hard bop, or bluesy fare."

Early life Warren Robert Cheeseboro was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 23, 1946. His father, Henry McCloud, worked as an entrepreneur; his mother, Willa Mae Cheeseboro, was a stride pianist. He was raised in Philadelphia, and began playing the vibraphone during the later part of his teenage years in the mid-1960s. Jamal attended the Granoff School of Music and the Combs College of Music.

Career Jamal first played for a group called Cosmic Forces during the later part of the 1960s. He also played with The Sun Ra Arkestra. After leaving the group, he teamed up with several other of its former members to play with Sunny Murray's group Untouchable Factor.

Jamal later co-founded Sounds of Liberation with Byard Lancaster in 1970. Its members included Monnette Sudler (guitar), Billy Mills (bass), Dwight James (drums), and Omar Hill and Rashid Salim (percussion). The band released its only album, titled New Horizons, two years later on its own record label Dogtown. However, it gained little impact outside Philadelphia at the time. The album was eventually reissued on Porter Records in 2010. This gave the group a new lease on life, culminating in the re-emergence of a recording made at Columbia University in 1973. It was ultimately issued in 2019 as Unreleased on Dogtown/Brewerytown.

In addition to leading his own groups, Jamal performed with Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society in the 1980s, Joe Bonner, Billy Bang, Charles Tyler and others. His first solo album was Drum Dance to the Motherland, a live recording that was held in a small café in his hometown and first released in 1973. It was reissued by Eremite Records in 2006, with the label describing it as "the most legendary private press underground jazz album of the 1970s". Another solo album by Jamal, Infinity (1984), was reissued by Jazz Room in 2021 and dubbed spiritual jazz by WBGO.

Jamal's style connected the two contrasting forms of free jazz and jazz fusion. He was also known for his skill of shifting modes and moods, as well as his versatile way towards music. He was a frequent performer at the Vision Festival.

Personal life Jamal had two sons: Khan II and Tahir. He died on January 10, 2022, at the Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia. He was 75, and suffered kidney failure prior to his death.

Discography

As leader

Name Year Label Drum Dance to the Motherland 1972 Dogtown Give the Vibes Some 1974 Palm 10 The River 1978 Philly Jazz 1002, with Bill Lewis Infinity 1984 Con'brio 001; Stash 278; Jambrio 1001; Jazz Room 006 Dark Warrior 1984 SteepleChase Three 1985 SteepleChase with Pierre Dørge, Johnny Dyani The Traveller 1985 SteepleChase Thinking of You 1986 Storyville 4138 Speak Easy 1988 Gazell 4001 Don't Take No! 1989 Stash ST-CD-20 Percussion & Strings 1997 CIMP Cubano Chant 2000 Jambrio 1002 Balafon Dance 2002 CIMP Cool 2002 Jambrio 1008 Nothing Is Wrong 2003 CIMP with Odean Pope Black Awareness 2005 CIMP Return from Exile 2005 Discograph 6124582 Fire and Water 2007 CIMP with Dylan Taylor-bass Impressions of Coltrane 2009 SteepleChase

As sideman

Sources:

Artist Name Year Label Sounds of Liberation New Horizons 1972 Dogtown Ted Daniel Tapestry 1974 Sun Monnette Sudler Brighter Days for You 1978 Steeplechase Ronald Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society Nasty 1981 Moers Dwight James Inner Heat 1983 Cadence Jemeel Moondoc Konstanze's Delight 1983 Soul Note Billy Bang Outline No. 12 1983 Celluloid Joe Bonner Suite for Chocolate 1985 SteepleChase Omar Hill and Art Webb Caribbean Breeze 1986 Gaslight Dan Fogel Naked Flowers 1986 Laughing Waters Sunny Murray Change of the Century Orchestra 1999 JAS Omar Hill Tribes of the Future 2000 Afrotex Jemeel Moondoc Revolt of the Negro Lawn Jockeys 2001 Eremite Roy Campbell Jr. It's Krunch Time 2001 Thirsty Ear Antipop Consortium and Matthew Shipp Antipop vs. Matthew Shipp 2003 Thirsty Ear Matthew Shipp Equilibrium 2003 Thirsty Ear Thunderbird Service Soul Unity 2006 Heavenly Sweetness DJ Spooky The Secret Song 2009 Thirsty Ear Scanner with the Post Modern Jazz Quartet Blink of an Eye 2010 Thirsty Ear Sounds of Liberation Unreleased (Columbia University 1973) 2018 Dogtown

References

External links at All About Jazz at allmusic