Bud Powell's Moods highlights the influential bebop pianist at a special time, becoming an exclusive artist for jazz impresario Norman Granz's Norgran and Verve labels. Excerpted from three sessions over a six-month period in 1954 and 1955 (with support from bassists George Duvivier, Percy Heath and Lloyd Trotman and drummers Art Taylor and Art Blakey), Powell's approach on ballads and standards like "My Funny Valentine," "Moonlight in Vermont," "You Go to My Head" and "I Get a Kick Out of You" (plus originals "Buttercup" and "Fantasy in Blue") makes for a stirring reminder of why he was one of the most incisive jazz pianists of his generation.
The Verve Vault series is all-analog, cut from the original master tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed on 180-gram vinyl.
