Bud Powell question

[mjzee]

In the booklet accompanying the box "Bud Powell - The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings," Bob Blumenthal writes "After several erratic sessions released on Design, Norgran/Verve and RCA Victor, Powell returned to Blue Note to record three albums in 1957 and '58."  Which recordings are these?  I've never heard of the Design label.

[JSngry]

The Design records I know was a supermarket label.

[mhatta]

Perhaps Debut?

[romualdo]

The Design label was launched in 1957 as a subsidiary of Pickwick Sales Corp. An article in Billboard (15 July 1957, p. 51) announced the entry of Design into the market with its first 24 releases. The next set of records was released at the end of Dec. 1957, according to Billboard (23 Dec. 1957, p. 17). The last release that year was catalog number DLP-56.

https://www.discogs.com/release/2821523-Various-Modern-Jazz-Hall-Of-Fame-Volume-1

https://www.discogs.com/release/28057503-The-Jazz-Stars-Progressive-Jazz

Various artists compilations originally released on Debut label

[JSngry]

Yep, supermarket label.

[Rooster_Ties]

https://www.discogs.com/label/72707-Design-Records-2

Lot more if you click ‘show more’ right under the start of the verbiage about the label (or I’m getting a ‘show more’ on iPhone).

See also:

https://www.bsnpubs.com/pickwick/designstory.html

Edited November 1 by Rooster_Ties

[mjzee]

Yes, but which sessions were recorded for Design?  Blumenthal seems to say that there was a session for Design.  Maybe it's just an error on his part.

[Mark Stryker]

Tom Lord Jazz Discography shows only one Bud Powell track appearing on an LP issued on Design. "I've Got You Under My Skin" from the Massey Hall concert in 1953 with Mingus/Roach. This  and all other tracks on DLP29 were originally issued on Mingus' Debut label. It's possible that Bob misspoke and meant Debut rather than Design, but Bud on Debut in this time frame only means the Massey Hall quintet performances with Bird/Dizzy/Mingus/Max and the trio portion of the concert with just the rhythm section -- and I would certainly not describe Bud's playing here as erratic. 

Edited November 1 by Mark Stryker

[T.D.]

The discogs link given by Rooster has only one (compilation) album featuring Bud. It's the album linked to by romualdo.

The album from that second discogs link has 2 cuts with Bud: 1. Perdido, with Bird, Mingus and Dizzy, seemingly from Massey Hall; 2. Under My Skin by a "Bud Powell Trio" with Mingus and Max. Appears to be from the Toronto Debut session, but I can't tell when it was released (at least, the available Wiki material is unclear with regard to that track).

 

[John L]

Yes, I think that the mention of the Design label by Bob Blumenthal was just a mistake.  Bud recorded during that period for only Morgan/Verve and RCA.   

[Gheorghe]

He recorded too much in the un-years. I don´t know what Norman Granz purposed when he recorded such a weak Bud. I have mixed feelings about Norman Granz, he sure did very very much for the wider reputation of jazz, but had not the most musical tastes, he prefererred older styled straight ahead playing drummers like Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa to players like Max Roach or Philly Joe Jones and often booked musicians together who did not fit in. Like this Tommy Turk on a Bird combo record....., 
But in general all his sessions are at least technically perfect. So I really don´t know why he insisted to spend money on sessions that never should be heard by anyone. 
But it is not only Verve or Victors that have erratic playing.
The first side of the Blue Note that has Curtis Fuller on side B is more than erratic and without much musical sense. I mean he has it all together with Curtis Fuller, but falters on the trio sides. Besides his own unsure and uninspired playing he seems to be so off or drugged he doesn´t even notice when Paul Chambers takes a solo. He pure and simple destroys what Chambers does.....