First off, the music is by and large marvellous and, for a historical marker, it spans the months before and after Powell's appearance at Massey Hall with the ‘Quintet of the Year’. For readers more into his biography, it also marks his release after one of his psychiatric confinements. Perhaps as a result, the energy, invention and articulation displayed on the earlier dates are truly frightening, and not only to pianists. However, the prospect of something new from the archives, described in a press release as “not captured by somebody recording off his radio but rather on professional equipment in the club itself”, is completely disowned by Russ Musto's booklet note, which clearly lists previous issues of the same stuff (all of which was recorded offair). In praising “its vastly improved sound quality”, he merely highlights a slightly brighter remaster guaranteeing extra surface noise on some of the more worn acetates. So, back to the music – despite the repetition of repertoire on different broadcasts, and the variable sound, the chance to hear three live versions of ‘Un Poco Loco’, or a live ‘Glass Enclosure’ and much more, is to be treasured. Note that the few postMassey Hall tracks adding Gillespie, Parker and Candido are the only things missing from the Fresh Sound 2CD set of this material.