Bud Powell | Essential albums and listening guide

Meet the artist

A pianist who helped define bebop piano through agile right-hand lines and spare left-hand chords. His approach became a lasting reference for later generations of modern jazz pianists. The right hand moves with a horn player's agility while brief left-hand chords add accents.

Separating those roles gives piano improvisation unusual freedom. Urgent lines in fast pieces contrast with fragile lyricism in ballads. His music offers a keyboard route into the bebop world associated with Charlie Parker. Following where chords enter beneath the melody reveals how the performance generates its momentum.