After
bop pianist
Bud Powell died in 1966,
ESP-Disk Records kept his name alive with a series of archival live recordings curated from the personal collection of his wife,
Buttercup Powell. Unlike their higher-profile
Billie Holiday and
Charlie Parker series, which were of unfortunately varying (and quite often very low) quality, the
Bud Powell sessions are uniformly fine, with the excellent
Blue Note Cafe Paris 1961 a particular standout. Working in a trio format with local bassist
Pierre Michelot and former
Modern Jazz Quartet drummer
Kenny Clarke,
Powell stretches out on a set that's half evergreen
standards (including a rollicking
"There Will Never Be Another You") and half songs written or co-written by his friend and mentor
Thelonious Monk. Although
Powell's performances during this period were occasionally erratic owing to his sometimes precarious mental state, the pianist sounds relaxed and even playful on these eight tracks, investing his solos on
Monk showcases like
"'Round Midnight" with a lightness of touch that matches
Clarke's fleet, flashy drumming. It's not one of
Powell's most essential recordings, but
Blue Note Cafe Paris 1961 shows the pianist in a comfortable setting in front of an appreciative crowd. ~ Stewart Mason
![Waltz for Debby [1962]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888072323261_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Waltz for Debby [1962]")
