A vibrant big band production,
Bud Powell in the 21st Century finds pianist
Ethan Iverson in joyous celebration of the legendary bebop pianist with Italy's
Umbria Jazz Orchestra. One of the prime architects of bebop and modern jazz,
Powell lived a troubled life and his musical contributions are often overshadowed by the addiction, racial prejudice, and mental illness he suffered. A boundary-pushing artist in his own right,
Iverson shines a light on
Powell's music, reinterpreting many of the pianist's classic compositions, as well as drawing inspiration for his own inventive originals. Although best known for his work as a founding member of the genre-bending trio
the Bad Plus,
Iverson is also well-versed in the acoustic jazz tradition and has collaborated on projects with many of his idols, including
Billy Hart,
Ron Carter, and
Albert "Tootie" Heath. Since parting ways with
the Bad Plus in 2017,
Iverson has continued to delve into his love of acoustic post-bop, recording albums with
Mark Turner and
Tom Harrell, all of which reinforces his reputation as an improviser with one ear in the past and one firmly attuned to jazz's future. It's just this sort of balance he strikes on
Bud Powell in the 21st Century. Interestingly, although
Iverson designed the album as a big band session, he drew his primary inspiration from
Powell's classic 1949 small-group recordings featuring saxophonist
Sonny Rollins, trumpeter
Fats Navarro, bassist
Tommy Potter, and drummer
Roy Haynes. To help him achieve this sound, he put together his own adept quintet with trumpeter
Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist
Dayna Stephens, bassist
Ben Street, and drummer
Lewis Nash. Together, they bring their adventurous and progressive skills to bear throughout. At the top of the album is a two-part
Iverson composition, "Bud Powell in the 21st Century 1: Chorale" and "Bud Powell in the 21st Century 2: Continuity." Harmonically lush arrangements, these songs, as with much of
Iverson's work here, strike a balance between the acoustic modernism of artists like
Dizzy Gillespie in the '40s and the more avant-garde approach of artists like
Charlie Haden in the '70s. It's a bold combination and one that allows
Iverson to mix lyrical harmonies with extended sections of probing, avant-garde vamp-style improvisations. What follows are equally vivid takes on such
Powell standards as "Bouncing with Bud," "Dance of the Infidels," and "Wail," as well as an exceptionally burning rendition of
Thelonious Monk's "52nd Street Theme." Particularly engaging is "Nobile Paradiso," a languid
Iverson original that conjures the smoky, urbane jazz clubs of the 1940s in which
Powell and his bebop contemporaries developed their sound. While it's almost taken for granted that
Powell's music was key in the development of modern jazz, it still sounds ear-poppingly fresh, especially when played with the passion and inspiration that
Iverson does here. ~ Matt Collar
