Jaki Byard - Blues in the Closet (1962)

A year has passed since Erroll’s one-hundredth, and at the time I wrote that I would post a tribute to Jaki to celebrate his centenary when it came around, and here we are on June 15 2022. The first of ten uploads to mark the day, this recording of the Oscar Pettiford composition was made on January 30 1962 at the Van Gelder studio in New Jersey. Jaki is accompanied by two great musicians: bassist Ron Carter, who would collaborate with Jaki on a number of occasions, and drummer Pete La Roca. Here, Jaki pays homage to Bud Powell, with whom this composition is most closely identified; in the sleevenotes to the original album Jaki speaks of the importance of Bud Powell in the modern conception of jazz piano. Happy one-hundredth, Jaki, and thank you for the music!