Bud Powell: Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 LP (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)

Blue Note, 1955

The amazing bebop piano genius Bud Powell made his most enduring recordings as a leader for Blue Note and was a catalyst for moving the label from the hot jazz it was founded on into the modern music being made by Powell, Thelonious Monk, Fats Navarro, and others. Powell’s 1949 & 1951 quintet & trio sessions were first released in 1952 as the 10” LP The Amazing Bud Powell, and later expanded as The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 (BLP 1503) when Blue Note moved to the 12” LP and launched the 1500 series in 1955. The quintet date featured the pianist with the likes of trumpeter Fats Navarro, tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, bassist Tommy Potter, and drummer Roy Haynes performing Powell originals such as “Dance of the Infidels,” “Wail,” and “Bouncing with Bud.” The trio date featured bassist Curly Russell and drummer Max Roach joining Powell on the jaunty classic “Un Poco Loco,” presented here in three evolving takes, along with timeless versions of Powell’s “Parisian Thoroughfare” and Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia,” as well as showstopping solo piano performance of “It Could Happen To You.”