Hasaan Ibn Ali

Hasaan Ibn Ali was a brilliant and enigmatic jazz pianist from Philadelphia whose unique style positioned him as a cult figure and a musician's musician. His complex, percussive, and rhythmically advanced approach was influenced by pianists like *Elmo Hope* but was ultimately his own, famously inspiring the "sheets of sound" concept of his early associate, *John Coltrane*. For decades, his entire released discography consisted of a single, now-classic album, 'The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan', recorded for #Atlantic# in 1964. His legend was fueled by a lost quartet album and years of obscurity until posthumous releases in the 21st century finally offered a broader view of his singular genius.