Elmo Hope – Trio & Quintet

If you’re a fan of jazz piano, then it’s a given you know Monk and Powell. Sadly, the same can’t always be said of Elmo Hope, and that’s a serious shame.

There was a time when the three were all part of the same scene, and the shared influences can certainly be heard if you listen to them in a bundle.

But whereas Powell’s speed and agility have come to be synonymous with be-bop’s athleticism, and Monk’s nursery-rhyme angularity is now symbolic of bop’s eclecticism, Hope’s nuanced, sophisticated, thoughtful, imagination, creativity, and funky vision has somehow been lost in the shuffle.

You can help remedy that by diggin’ into this excellent compilation.

So do so. Now.