Background
Powell is English, but moved to Norway as a child and grew up in Molde.
Powell is English, but moved to Norway as a child and grew up in Molde.
Powell holds a bachelor in Performing jazz from the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (2006), and completed the masters at Norges Musikkhøgskole in 2011.
He has collaborated with numerous musicians including Terje Rypdal, Kenny Wheeler, Eirik Hegdal, Vigleik Storaas, Nils-Olav Johansen, Ole Morten Vågan, Eyolf Dale, and Ståle Storløkken, and released his debut solo album The Attic in 2011. He startet his career at 13 in the jazz band Dixi in Molde, they released four albums. Later he played with Magic Pocket, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and Jens Carelius in addition to his own trio.
This scholarship, which is awarded by "Midtnorsk jazzsenter", Moldejazz and "Sparebank 1", amounts 250,000 kr and gives the recipient the opportunity to write a commissioned work for Trondheim Jazz Orchestra at Moldejazz the following year.
The result of this commissioned work was documented on the album Kinetic Music with Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & Magic Pocket. As composer Powell, in addition to the aforementioned, has written commission works for big band (eg "Midtnorsk Ungdomsstorband", "Big Boss Band", "Ett Fett Storband"), brass bands ("Luftforsvarets Musikkorps", "Bispehaugen Ungdomskorps") and a number of smaller ensembles.
He has also written a mini-opera based on the novel about «Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde» (2006), and made musical arrangements to Jens Carelius" album The Architect (2011).