Hasaan Ibn Ali

Philadelphia jazz pianist Hasaan Ibn Ali was a seminal music theorist and technician; he influenced every musician he encountered. He played on only one record during his lifetime: The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan in 1965 on Atlantic, recorded with Roach and bassist Art Davis. In August and September of 1965, Ibn Ali cut another album for the label with Odean Pope, Davis, and drummer Kalil Madi, but it was shelved and subsequently thought lost. The master was rediscovered and released by Omnivore in 2021 as Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album, followed months later by Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings, drawn from the Institute of Jazz Studies' archive. In 2023, Reaching for the Stars: Trios/Duos/Solos appeared from Omnivore. It included seven unissued trio recordings with bassist Henry Grimes and Madi, three duets with vocalist Muriael Winston, and two piano solos.