Bud Powell (1924-1966) was an American jazz pianist, one of the central creators of bebop keyboard style. His playing transformed the piano’s role in modern jazz, bringing horn-like lines and explosive rhythmic freedom to the instrument.

In the Pristine catalogue he appears in the famous 1953 Massey Hall concert with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus and Max Roach.

Powell’s playing is volatile, brilliant and intensely compressed, with a right hand that seems to think in lightning and a left hand that knows exactly when to disappear or strike.

His life was troubled, but his influence is enormous. Powell made modern jazz piano speak a new language, and the grammar still crackles.