It's gratifying that, in mining the large RCA jazz archive, the reissuers even thought of including Powell, but rather depressing that they only have relatively inferior work to choose from. As is well known to those who have followed the trajectory of his foreshortened career, 1953 was probably the last year where his work enjoyed some consistency of execution and intensity. Nearly all subsequent studio sessions, and most live dates, were more hit-and-miss with the listener having to dig out the more exciting and coherent bits. Six of the present 11 tracks are fairly straight (and occasionally approximate) readings of standards with the improv sections fairly uneven; given his problems with alcohol, it's sad to hear his ponderously flowery version of ‘Lush Life’. But even here there are bright spots, one of them being the themeless ‘Blues For Bessie’ which, surprisingly, incorporates the closing chorus from King Oliver's ‘Snag It’ routine.