Bud Powell

[mrjazzman]

The Amazing Bud Powell Vol's 1-5
Blues In The Closet
Bud Plays Bird
The Complete Essen Jazz Festival Concert
The Genius Of Bud Powell
Live In Lausanne 1962
More Unissued Vol.1 1953-1959
Parisian Thoroughfares
Salt Peanuts
Strictly Confidential
Strictly Powell

To all my experts out there, here's what I have. Am I missing anything essential?

[jazzbo]

I would suggest

Debut Records trio session live at Massey Hall 

3 disc set on ESP Records

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by jazzbo

[Pim]

I love his stuff on Verve:

- Jazz Giant

- Piano Interpretations By

- The Lonely One

classic Powell and much overlooked.

[Peter Friedman]

[Brad]

Shaw Nuff on Xanadu, also known as Bud in Paris.

https://www.discogs.com/release/11799115-Bud-Powell-Shaw-Nuff

Edited October 17, 2021 by Brad

[Teasing the Korean]

The ones that I really care about are:

• Jazz Giant 
• Genius of
• Amazing Vols 1 & 2

The one you need is Jazz Giant, but if you have the Verve double LP of Genius of, you already have this.

[JSngry]

2 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

All the way seconded!

[jazzbo]

Another one I recommend

 

 

 

cool photo

Edited October 17, 2021 by jazzbo

[hopkins]

Am curious to know what role Ellington really had as a producer of "Bud Powell in Paris". Did either Powell or Ellington ever discuss this collaboration? 

[jazzbo]

As I understand it Ellington was given the right and opportunity to produce recordings of a few artists of his choosing for Reprise and he did so--recordings of Dollar Brand, Sathima Benjamin his wife (with contributions from Ellington and Strayhorn at the piano, a lovely lovely album), Alice Babs (with a contingent from the Ellington Orchestra) and Bud Powell.

He definitely was present for the Powell recordings and had a direct hand in the production.

Edited October 17, 2021 by jazzbo

[mjzee]

Thanks for the reminder about the Reprise date.  I find I have albums with similar names (Bud In Paris on Xanadu, Blue Note Cafe, Paris on ESP, Paris Sessions and Parisian Thoroughfare on Pablo), but not that one.  Ordered today.

[hopkins]

17 minutes ago, jazzbo said:

As I understand it Ellington was given the right and opportunity to produce recordings of a few artists of his choosing for Reprise and he did so--recordings of Dollar Brand, Samitha Benjamin his wife, Alice Babs (with a contingent from the Ellington Orchestra) and Bud Powell.

He definitely was present for the Powell recordings and had a direct hand in the production.

Thanks. 

[jazzbo]

1 hour ago, hopkins said:

Thanks. 

One other point. . . I've read that Ellington was very supportive and encouraging, he is reported to have been exhorting "Go, Genius, go!"

[Tom in RI]

I agree with Lon re the 1953 Birdland recordings which have been released on vinyl and cd by a lot of different companies. Airshot fidelity but great playing. Stuff I continue to go back to.

[aparxa]

The first record that came to mind after reading the OP post is the recommendation from Lon, a beautiful session.

[mhatta]

 

My favorites not mentioned yet are:

Inner Fires (1953, I think its intensity and sound quality beats the Birdland airchecks)

Swingin' With Bud (1957, I think it's much better than its companion Strictly Powell)

A Portrait of Thelonious (1962, unstable but swinging Bud with the three bosses -- Kenny Clarke and Pierre Michelot)

At The Golden Circle Vol. 3 (1962, contains possibly the best version of I Remember Clifford, Bud's tribute to Brownie (and possibly Richie, his brother killed with Brownie in a car accident).

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by mhatta

[Gheorghe]

In later years, but also in earlier years, Bud sounded most inspired when he played with great fellow musicians.

The "Tribute to Cannonball" with Don Byas and Idrees Sulieman from 1961 ,

The Dexter Gordon Date from 1963 

The rare Bud at Birdland 1957 with Donald Byrd and Phil Woods.

And maybe you would like the 1964 Trio album that originally had the title "The Invisible Cage" , but later it was reissued as " Blues for Bouffémont", with new compositions and some great Art Taylor on drums. 

[jlhoots]

8 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

The rare Bud at Birdland 1957 with Donald Byrd and Phil Woods.

Great one. 

[mjzee]

On 10/17/2021 at 1:10 PM, mjzee said:

Thanks for the reminder about the Reprise date.  I find I have albums with similar names (Bud In Paris on Xanadu, Blue Note Cafe, Paris on ESP, Paris Sessions and Parisian Thoroughfare on Pablo), but not that one.  Ordered today.

So I ordered it yesterday from Amazon, it arrived today, and it's a Japanese edition (8122-79641-9), evidently from 2012 but still sealed.  $9.61 + tax.  Pretty amazing.

[Gheorghe]

1 hour ago, mjzee said:

So I ordered it yesterday from Amazon, it arrived today, and it's a Japanese edition (8122-79641-9), evidently from 2012 but still sealed.  $9.61 + tax.  Pretty amazing.

If you like the Reprise date, I mean that date from february 1963, you might also like the Mythic Sound album "Writin´ for Duke" with the material for that session, that was not issued on the original LP. 

Originally it was planned, that Bud would write new material for that session, among others one title "Tune for Duke". 

But as it was said, "for commercial reasons" they kept more the standard tunes which are on the Reprise album". 

What is really great on the "Writin´for Duke" is Bud´s version of Ellington´s "I got it bad" , which really should be heard. "Tune for Duke" is nice and swinging, but some other compositions would have needed more repetions or they was written to quickly. "Free" is nothing else than a fast C-minor blues, but not really great.

If you ask me for my opinion, the main reason why I listen less to all the material from this session is the drumming of Kansas Fields, who may be a good old time drummer, but is not the best choice for a Bud Powell trio. 

[mrjazzman]

As usual, thanks to all my trusted experts. All of you deserve a pat on the back.  I really appreciate all the great suggestions. 

[Teasing the Korean]

On 10/18/2021 at 0:52 AM, mhatta said:

Inner Fires (1953, I think its intensity and sound quality beats the Birdland airchecks)

Until the kick drum blows out your subwoofer.  I unloaded this LP for that reason.  Was this ever corrected for CD?

[mjzee]

On 10/19/2021 at 0:08 AM, Gheorghe said:

If you like the Reprise date, I mean that date from february 1963, you might also like the Mythic Sound album "Writin´ for Duke" with the material for that session, that was not issued on the original LP. 

Originally it was planned, that Bud would write new material for that session, among others one title "Tune for Duke". 

But as it was said, "for commercial reasons" they kept more the standard tunes which are on the Reprise album". 

What is really great on the "Writin´for Duke" is Bud´s version of Ellington´s "I got it bad" , which really should be heard. "Tune for Duke" is nice and swinging, but some other compositions would have needed more repetions or they was written to quickly. "Free" is nothing else than a fast C-minor blues, but not really great.

If you ask me for my opinion, the main reason why I listen less to all the material from this session is the drumming of Kansas Fields, who may be a good old time drummer, but is not the best choice for a Bud Powell trio. 

Some of this is available on the Pablo release "Paris Sessions."

[EKE BBB]

Mike LeDonne on Bud Powell (culled from FB):

"Here’s something I’ve been thinking about. It’s been a source of frustration to me that Bud Powell is never given proper respect in terms of the importance of his role in the harmonic development of this music. Bird is always placed at the top when talking about innovators and Thelonious Monk has been dubbed the high priest of be bop and for good reason. Monk came up with the harmonies that became the earth that Be Bop grew out of but Bud Powell on the other hand seems to be less talked about and less revered.
Both Bird and Monk, and Dizzy for that matter, deserve all the accolades they get no doubt. Bird was a genius and everyone knows that. He was one of the very few people that completely changed not only the language but the rhythm of this music. If it weren't for Bird there might not have been a Bud Powell - BUT - I’m going to throw this out here - 
While Charlie Parker was the father of Be Bop and cast a net so wide that people are still trying to figure out how to play like him, Bud Powell is actually the father of modern jazz harmony to this day. Yes, even more than Bird and Monk.  
I rest my case on Bud Powell’s compositions “Glass Enclosure” and to a lesser degree “Un Poco Loco”.  Also all his incredible intros, interludes and endings. He was the first to use polytonal triadic harmony in his compositions which means placing one key over another. This harmony  became the earth that most “modern” jazz of today, including fusion and beyond, grew out of. Some people call them slash chords, Jaki Byard called them poly-chords. Bud was the pioneer of that sound who used it in a very unique way in a small group setting. Nobody else was doing that. Not Bird and not Monk. Bird was using polytonality in his solos but it was not the triadic harmony of Bud Powell. 
Bill Evans also used this harmony later on as well as McCoy Tyner, Trane and pretty much everyone after that. I’m not saying it was only Bud Powell that caused jazz musicians to pick up on these harmonies because they were also in the music of Ravel and Debussy as well as other classical composers dating way back before Jazz music and there’s no doubt that that music influenced Bud Powell, McCoy and Bill Evans. But if you dig in deeper you find that Bud’s harmony was different from Ravel and Debussy. It was truly his own thing. 
This places Bud Powell in a category all his own and shows an influence that goes way beyond be bop. It’s an amazing example of just how brilliant Bud Powell was. A genius of another kind." Mike LeDonne

Paging @Gheorghe

Edited November 13, 2021 by EKE BBB

[Gheorghe]

On 13.11.2021 at 6:04 PM, EKE BBB said:

Mike LeDonne on Bud Powell (culled from FB):

"Here’s something I’ve been thinking about. It’s been a source of frustration to me that Bud Powell is never given proper respect in terms of the importance of his role in the harmonic development of this music. Bird is always placed at the top when talking about innovators and Thelonious Monk has been dubbed the high priest of be bop and for good reason. Monk came up with the harmonies that became the earth that Be Bop grew out of but Bud Powell on the other hand seems to be less talked about and less revered.
Both Bird and Monk, and Dizzy for that matter, deserve all the accolades they get no doubt. Bird was a genius and everyone knows that. He was one of the very few people that completely changed not only the language but the rhythm of this music. If it weren't for Bird there might not have been a Bud Powell - BUT - I’m going to throw this out here - 
While Charlie Parker was the father of Be Bop and cast a net so wide that people are still trying to figure out how to play like him, Bud Powell is actually the father of modern jazz harmony to this day. Yes, even more than Bird and Monk.  
I rest my case on Bud Powell’s compositions “Glass Enclosure” and to a lesser degree “Un Poco Loco”.  Also all his incredible intros, interludes and endings. He was the first to use polytonal triadic harmony in his compositions which means placing one key over another. This harmony  became the earth that most “modern” jazz of today, including fusion and beyond, grew out of. Some people call them slash chords, Jaki Byard called them poly-chords. Bud was the pioneer of that sound who used it in a very unique way in a small group setting. Nobody else was doing that. Not Bird and not Monk. Bird was using polytonality in his solos but it was not the triadic harmony of Bud Powell. 
Bill Evans also used this harmony later on as well as McCoy Tyner, Trane and pretty much everyone after that. I’m not saying it was only Bud Powell that caused jazz musicians to pick up on these harmonies because they were also in the music of Ravel and Debussy as well as other classical composers dating way back before Jazz music and there’s no doubt that that music influenced Bud Powell, McCoy and Bill Evans. But if you dig in deeper you find that Bud’s harmony was different from Ravel and Debussy. It was truly his own thing. 
This places Bud Powell in a category all his own and shows an influence that goes way beyond be bop. It’s an amazing example of just how brilliant Bud Powell was. A genius of another kind." Mike LeDonne

Paging @Gheorghe

Good Point !

That´s it: Not only his bop lines, also very much his harmonies. 

In that context, very much the later interpretations of Ballads. I´m not good in theory but this way how Bud resolves certain chord progressions, especially in ballads, it became part of me. I couldn´t write that chords, and don´t know what poly chords is, but even if I play other ballads, I have that harmony in mind, it comes from itself, I can´t help doin it. It´s in my mind and that´s how it comes out. 

During the last weeks, due to COVID Lockdown I can play piano only at home. And that´s how it came I played Hildegard Knef´s "Für mich solls Rote Rosen regnen" just for my wife, and I never had played it and had heard it only when we went to some evergreen dancing on a Danube ship, but it came out in a way like maybe Bud would have played it. She loved it and I think I´ll do it as a last encore only solo piano when gigs will be possible again....