Hasaan Ibn Ali

★★★★★ Retrospect In Retirement Of Delay: The Solo Recordings OMNIVORE. CD/DL

A majestic but little-known jazz pianist flying solo.

Known in jazz circles for his mid-’60s work with drummer Max Roach, the late Hasaan Ibn Ali is one of the mightiest overlooked pianists. These 2-CDs of solo work are 2021’s second collection of unreleased material, and it’s astonishing. Like fellow Philly phenom John Coltrane, Ibn Ali blazes and splays forth sheets of sound. He shares virtuosity with Bud Powell (as well as classical pianist Glenn Gould) and eccentricity with Thelonious Monk, but he isn’t mimicking anyone. These sides – a mixture of standards and originals – were recorded by friends in 1962-65. Within any given track, tempos vary wildly, and he sounds as if his fingers are going to fly off the keyboard. Yet he’s never less than perfectly precise

– the result is ineffably beautiful, controlled and utterly elegant chaos. Michael Simmons