Celebrating the Centennial of Bud Powell

September 27, 2024 — One hundred years ago in Harlem, New York, American pianist and composer Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was born. After growing up at the epicenter of the stride piano scene amidst the Harlem Renaissance, Powell emerged in the 1940s as one of the leading lights of the bebop revolution. A wealth of performances and recordings over the subsequent three decades established him as a definitive jazz composer and major influence on countless pianists before his untimely death at the age of 41 on July 31, 1966.

Mingus and Powell were frequent collaborators during this period, often as a trio with Max Roach. The group was most frequently documented in 1953, holding court at Birdland, but in that same year, the trio joined Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in Toronto for a legendary all-star concert which was recorded and released as The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall on Mingus and Roach’s Debut Records. Mingus and Powell met again in 1960 at the Antibes Jazz Festival, shortly after the pianist's relocation to France. Their reunion performance was limited to just one tune, “I’ll Remember April”, but the event was captured on LP and film for future generations to enjoy the genius of Bud Powell and Charles Mingus.

The Quintet performs at Massey Hall, Toronto, May 15, 1953. Photo: Harold Robinson

Gérard Jourdan's poster for the 1960 Antibes Jazz Festival