Powell, Bud: Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell Vol.4 (Blue Note Classic) LP

Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series which presents 180g vinyl LP reissues in standard packaging mastered by Kevin Gray and manufactured at Optimal. The pressings are all-analog whenever an analog source is available, with Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes. While the first 16 titles of the series focused on the best-known Blue Note classics from the 1950s and 60s, the new run of titles curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman broadens its scope to span the many eras and styles of the legendary label's eight-decade history presented by themes: Bebop, Hard Bop, Soul Jazz, Post-Bop, Avant-Garde, The 70s, The Rebirth, and Hidden Gems.

In the late 1940s, Blue Note founder Alfred Lion became enthralled with the modern sounds of bebop and began recording several of the new music's innovators including the brilliant pianist Bud Powell, who Lion dubbed The Amazing Bud Powell. Powell could be erratic, but as a producer Lion always seemed to draw the best out of the piano master, and cut numerous classic sides including "Un Poco Loco" and "Bouncing with Bud." The fourth volume of The Amazing Bud Powell series, titled Time Waits, was recorded in 1958 and found Powell in particularly fine form on an ebullient set of his original tunes including "Buster Rides Again," "Monopoly," and "John's Abbey." Powell's playing is endlessly inventive as he takes flight in a trio setting with bassist Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones, who elevates the session with some of his most inspired drumming on record.