Hailing from Harlem, jazz pianist Bud Powell was born on 27 September 1924 and would become one of the most important and influential jazz musicians of the post-war era. Brief, patchy and sadly interrupted by illness and misfortune as his career was, he helped change the conventions of jazz piano at the birth of bebop, and introduced techniques taken up by dozens of noted players in his wake.
Abandoning the established striding left-hand technique in favour of spacey irregular patterns of dissonant chords, while the right hand developed rapid free-flowing melodic lines effectively mimicking the saxophone style of Charlie Parker on the piano. It resulted at times in inspired, brilliant and breathtaking solos, with a daring attack and intensity, which greatly influenced artists of later years such as Bill Evans. Acrobat’s 2CD set, The Best Of Bud Powell 1944-62 Vol.1 (ADDCD3116), presented a selection of his most noted recordings, however there were many of equal quality and interest that could not be included.
Therefore, this additional 2CD collection covers a similar era, with pieces selected from a wide spectrum of the projects and periods which gave rise to some of his best-known performances. The regard in which he was held by his peers is underlined by the litany of jazz greats with whom he performs on many of these recordings, artists such as: Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro, Art Blakey, Ray Brown, Max Roach, Buddy Rich, Percy Heath and Curly Russell. It’s an absorbing and entertaining showcase for a fine jazz musician whose influence can be traced in the music of Horace Silver, Wynton Kelly, Andre Previn, McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton, and Chick Corea.
