Pianist
Bud Powell's move to France in 1959 helped revive his career, getting him away from the pressures and temptations of New York and probably lengthening his life by a few years. This Xanadu LP features some privately recorded performances with his trio (which includes bassist
Pierre Michelot and drummer
Kenny Clarke), a pair of heated duets ("Idaho" and "Perdido") with tenor great
Johnny Griffin and four quartets with the tenor of
Barney Wilen (along with
Michelot and Clarke). The recording quality is decent if not of studio quality but the passion in the playing generally comes through and
Powell's fans will want to search for this one. ~ Scott Yanow