Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) and Bud Powell (1924-1966) may well be recognised as the undisputed architects of modern bebop piano, but while Monk's overt eccentricities contributed to him being looked upon as some kind of near-mythical deity, Powell is seen as a tragic figure. Fact: Both were prone to exhibiting “strange behaviour” of which Powell's was the most acute. Throughout his short life, he was plagued with psychiatric problems that were exasperated as a result of police brutality, alcohol dependency, and the death of his younger brother Richie in the same fatal auto crash that took the life of Clifford Brown and, as such he became withdrawn and unpredictable. Perhaps, in some ways this impacted on Powell not receiving the same degree of kudos as many of those who passed him in the fast lane.

Still, it can never be denied that Powell was the flawed genius who, while still in his early-twenties, transposed the innovations of Charlie Parker to the keyboard and in doing so carved out his own equally unique style. This double CD combines four Powell LPs, namely The Genius Of Bud Powell (1950-51) Mercury Verve, Piano Interpretations (1955) Norgran/Verve, Strictly Powell (1956) RCA-Victor, and Swingin’ With Bud (1957) RCA-Victor.

To this day, Powell's approach to everything from rhythmic sensibilities to moody harmonies coupled to the clarity of his outbursts of breath-taking speed are still very relevant well over half-a-century after they were originally presented on record. As Bill Evans remarked in 1979: “If I had to choose one single musician for his artistic integrity, for the incomparable originality of his creation and the grandeur of his work, it would be Bud Powell. He was in a class by himself.” No argument there, pal. Content-wise, highlights of these solo and trio performances range from Powell's thoughtful interpretations of such diverse material as ‘Lush Life’, ‘Salt Peanuts’, ‘Stairway To The Stars’, ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Swedish Pastry’, to a clutch of his own highly personalised compositions, ‘Blues For Bessie’, ‘Oblivion’, ‘Get It’, ‘Hallucinations’ and the much covered ‘Parisian Thoroughfare’. While Powell's extensive recordings for Clef/Verve, Roulette and Blue Note have already been boxed up elsewhere, this is more than a satisfactory overview of his artistry. Perhaps a detailed appraisal of Earl ‘Bud’ Powell is long overdue?