Bud Powell: Live at Birdland 1957

[AllenLowe]

well, he was too drunk to complain.

[blind-blake]

Finally got mine. Was getting a little concerned for a while there - not getting any response from my seller after repeated attempts to contact him. Excellent late period Bud - some of his very best playing of the mid-50s. Amazing to think it has only just now surfaced after so many years. Makes u wonder what else is out there.

[Brad]

Guess I will bite the bullet!

[JSngry]

Thanks again. I'm holding on with cautious optimism for now, will give it another few days before going full-bore worrisome.

Heard from the seller last night....says that he'll ship the item today and send a notice when he does. Fingers crossed.

Never got a shipping notice, sent another email, and received an apology, along with an assurance that the item had been sent as previously stated, and to just hang tight.

Well, sure enough, the item has arrived. The seller might have dropped the ball on communication this time, but not on delivery.

[CJ Shearn]

I thought Bud plays great on the side with Blakey, too.

[Gheorghe]

I thought Bud plays great on the side with Blakey, too.

Well I don´t think anybody would say Bud doesn´t play great on the Blakey side too, but this was 2 years later, after he had settled in Paris.

As I mentioned in my own review, the point is, that Bud during the mid fifties had his bad period, remember his shaky performances late 54 early 55 for Verve . So that 1957 recording is great, a huge improvement, and even better than the BN "Bud!".

But if you like to mention "Blakey in Paris", of course this was one of the best examples of Bud back in action. This together with the "Essen Festival All Stars" feat. Hawk , sounds like "the old Bud", for those who always want to compare his later work with his early work.

Anyway, even in 1947 Bud had days where he didn´t play up to his best, like on the Savoy sides with Bird. where his fingers seem to be stiff or something.

And: It´s great to hear Bud with good hornplayers. I always say there are to many trio recordings.

[king ubu]

I think I disagree re: better than the Blue Note recordings. Somehow, to my ears, from all the official Bud of those years, the BN always comes up first! And I don't think this live recording is much of a contender, really. Sure it's different, and yeah, not enough Bud with horns (but then he didn't need no horns anyway) ... but still ... will give it a spin again soon though. Who knows, it might grow on me a bit.

[Gheorghe]

@king ubu: In general, I´d agree that the BN are great recordings, but especially the 1957 "Bud!" .....well, the stride section on "Idaho" is fun, but the rest isn´t so much inspired. The slow blues "Some Soul" sounds uninspired, same about "Frantic Fancies" which is just an improvised line on "Strike up the Band", somehow "frantic"......

But maybe, the Birdland 1957 might grow on you. I love his solos on Ornithology, and Lover Man is wonderful, maybe Groovin High a bit more tentative, and Dance of the Infidels is solid.

More interesting late 1957 is on Mythic Sound, a much better version of "Bud on Bach" than on the BN, for example..... ...

[Hardbopjazz]

New Bud is new Bud. I really enjoy this recording.

[AllenLowe]

truthfully, the last Bud I heard which sounds like the real Bud is some broadcast stuff from '55, also on the Paudras CDs.

[Gheorghe]

truthfully, the last Bud I heard which sounds like the real Bud is some broadcast stuff from '55, also on the Paudras CDs.

The "Burnin´in USA" with O.P.and Blakey ?

[Quasimado]

Allen, why not relax with a taste of N.O. tabaccy and let Bud take you for an aesthetic ride?

Q

[mjzee]

I just gave the disc my first listen. The sound quality is OK, but not great: instruments are clearly recorded, but the horns are mixed a little to the background. The horns also sometimes sound tentative, not really forceful; hard to tell whether this is the mix, or the players are young, perhaps in awe of Bud, or maybe this was just a slow Tuesday night. Only Lover Man and Dance Of The Infidels sound rehearsed; the rest sound like a blowing session. They can't even decide whether they're playing How High The Moon or Ornithology; they go back and forth between the two.

As to whether this is great Bud: this is interesting Bud, but it doesn't really sound like a Bud-led session. Each musician gets equal soloing time within each tune, including bass and drums, so it's not like Bud is really showcased here. But it doesn't sound like a Byrd- or Woods-led session either, more like a collective. I found How High The Moon and Groovin' High somewhat pedestrian, but Bud plays some very nice things in Lover Man and DOTI; he takes his solos in some interesting directions. Phil Woods, on the other hand, is playing a lot of lines I've heard on Bird records.

So I'm happy to have it; maybe further listening will reward with new insights. BTW, it's definitely a boot. Symphony Sid, at the end of HHTM, tells the crowd this is being recorded by Roulette for a future release; I don't see anywhere on the cover that Universal's given their approval. Also, it's probably not from first generation tapes, as the music comes from at least two different sets; there was probably more that was recorded that's not presented here.

Finally, is that really a picture of Phil Woods on the back cover? Sure looks like Jackie McLean to me.

[Gheorghe]

Well, How Hight the Moon and Ornithology is the same thing, Ornithology is Benny Harris´line on How High The Moon. Bud starts the theme of "How High the Moon" and the horns play the line of Ornithology.

I also had the impression that the back cover picture looks almost like Jackie McLean. But I didn´t see many pictures of Phil Woods in my live, only later with beard and even later only with moustache.

The question whether this was a Bud-led session is a reasonable one. Well, not "Bud-led", but I think he was the featured artist and they wanted to showcase Bud, playing stuff that he might feel comfortable. Reminds me of "Our Man in Paris", where Dexter also would have used "new" originals, but finally relented to play bop standards since Bud at a later stage of his career wasn´t wild about learning new stuff.

And let´s say Art Taylor is really great on that. And I really love the brushwork he does while Chambers plays his fanstastic arco solo on "Ornithology".

[king ubu]

Maybe the aimed for "Tuesday Night at Birdland" or some such ... continuing the series from Roost?

[mjzee]

Maybe the aimed for "Tuesday Night at Birdland" or some such ... continuing the series from Roost?

Possibly so. Since my guess is that these tracks were not selected by Marshmallow from the master tapes of the entire shows, then I further guess by the tracks and timings (roughly 45 minutes) that this was at one time intended to be released as an album by Roulette, with perhaps these masters being sent to Japan before the intended release was cancelled. The tapes then languished in Japan until Marshmallow discovered them. Again, just a guess.

[Hardbopjazz]

My copy is 164 of 999. What numbers did others get?

[jlhoots]

My copy is 164 of 999. What numbers did others get?

162

[JSngry]

501

[romualdo]

588 (& 134 for the Dolphy)

[mjzee]

165.

[Dan Gould]

163

[jazzbo]

501

I don't wear 501s as often now due to the evolution of my waist line from 1980 through 2014. In the 'eighties they were all I wore if I had a choice.

[JSngry]

I learned early on that zippers opened quicker than buttons, and that has been an overriding consideration ever since, albeit for reasons that have also evolved from 1980 through 2014.

[kh1958]

182