Bud Powell's mind was wracked by tribulation, but his music was sensitive and whimsical—a far cry from the macho missives of his bebop contemporaries. In Powell's playing you can hear his roots in big band swing and Harlem stride piano, but his performances are also woven with strands of classical music that arrive lightly, with unforced grace. Powell lives through his playing. His music was one of the few places his turbulent mind found solace. A troubled man never made a sweeter sound.