Bud Powell changed the way that the piano is played in jazz.
The premiere bop pianist, Powell frequently played speedy single-note lines with his right hand while his left stated chords on an irregular basis, implying and accenting time while leaving the timekeeping role to the bassist.
Nearly every up-and-coming jazz pianist of 1945-60 and beyond sounded a lot like Powell at times.
This classic rendition of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Anthropology” (which is based on “I Got Rhythm”) is from December 1959, filmed at the Blue Note club in Paris, and matches Powell with tenor-saxophonist Lucky Thompson, guitarist Jimmy Gourley, bassist Pierre Michelot and drummer Kenny Clarke.
Bebop at its best.
-Scott Yanow
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