Rudy Powell

Rudy Powell

Rudy Powell (later Musheed Karweem) (October 28, 1907 - October 30, 1976) was an American jazz reed player. Born in New York City, Powell learned piano and violin while young and then clarinet and saxophone. In the late 1920s he played with June Clark, Gene Rodgers's Revellers, and Cliff Jackson's Krazy Kats (1928-1930). He never recorded as a leader but worked extensively as a sideman throughout his career. Among his credits are (in roughly chronological order) Elmer Snowden, Dave Nelson, Sam Wooding, Kaiser Marshall, Rex Stewart (1933), Fats Waller (1935–37), Edgar Hayes, Claude Hopkins (1938–39, 1944), Teddy Wilson, Andy Kirk (1940–41), Fletcher Henderson (1941-42), Eddie South, Don Redman (1943), Chris Columbus, Cab Calloway (1945–48), Lucky Millinder (1949-51), Jimmy Rushing, Buddy Tate, Benton Heath (1953–61), Ray Charles (1961-62), Buddy Johnson, Duke Ellington, and Saints & Sinners (1965–69). He continued playing off and on into the 1970s. Powell appears in A Great Day in Harlem. Powell also belonged to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Update this biography »
Complete biography of Rudy Powell »