The Essen Jazz Festival Concert

Pianist Bud Powell can be heard in prime form during this live set from The Essen Jazz Festival Concert, recorded in April of 1960. The set finds Powell backed by an all-star trio, featuring bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Kenny Clarke. The great tenor Coleman Hawkins joins the trio for three of the nine selections, including an incredible take of his own composition, Stuffy. The classic concert was remastered at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas in Germany. Along with Charlie Parker, Monk, and Dizzy Gillespie, Powell was a leading figure in the development of modern jazz, or bebop. His virtuosity led many to call him the Charlie Parker of the piano. Powell was also a composer, and many jazz critics credit his works and his playing as having "greatly extended the range of jazz harmony."