Remembering Bud Powell
With this 1997 recording, Chick Corea pays homage toBud Powell, the jazz pianist he claims as his most abiding inspiration, although you certainly wouldn't have guessed that from listening to the bulk of his albums after the mid-1970s. Corea is joined by an all-star crew of younger musicians--alto saxophonistKenny Garrett, tenor saxophonistJoshua Redman, trumpeterWallace Roney, bassistChristian McBride--plus drummerRoy Haynes, who played on Powell's seminal bebop sides of the late '40s. (It's interesting to compare Haynes's protobop style on the original "Bouncing with Bud" to his more modern approach here.) It's been a long, long time since Corea has swung with such unselfconscious jubilation.--Rick Mitchell