Born Earl Powell on September 27, 1924 in Harlem, New York, the jazz/bebop pianist and composer is better known by his nickname Bud Powell. He was a leading figure in bebop alongside Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk. His compositions and recordings are now considered some of the most influential in jazz history. However, Powell dealt with mental issues and alcoholism over the course of his career, which alienated him from some of his jazz contemporaries including Charlie Parker. As a child, Powell was influenced by his pianist father and began to study classical piano. By the age of 10, he began to focus on swing music, which inspired his desire to be a jazz musician. Influenced heavily by jazz pianist great Art Tatum, Powell was mentored by Thelonious Monk in New York. In 1947, the first incarnation of the Bud Powell Trio – with bassist Curly Russell and drummer Max Roach - recorded their first sessions, which consisted of eight tracks that were released two years later on a series of four 78s. All eight tracks were gathered together in 1951 on the Bud Powell Trio 10” release. Powell continued to work solo and as a sideman but put together a new version of his trio in 1953, which included Georg Duvivier on bass and Art Taylor on drums. They released the Bud Powell Trio, Volume 2 release on 10” featuring eight tracks. In 1953, Powell performed with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Mingus and Max Roach on an album titled The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall (Live), which is now regarded as one of the great recordings in jazz. During his career, Powell spent time in and out of the hospital and jail, but continued to record and play, influencing a legion of jazz musicians. In 1963, he contracted tuberculosis. On July 31, 1966, Bud Powell died of tuberculosis, malnutrition, and alcoholism.
