The Amazing Bud Powell

The Amazing Bud Powell
The Amazing Bud Powell
Studio album by Bud Powell
Released	April 1952 (10", BLP 5003); March 1956 (12", BLP 1503).
Recorded	August 8, 1949; May 1, 1951;
Studio	WOR, NYC
Genre	Jazz
Length	27:07
Label	Blue Note
Producer	Alfred Lion
Bud Powell chronology
12 inch LP
	BLP 1503 (1956)

This article refers to volume 1 of the series The Amazing Bud Powell. For the full catalog of Powell recordings for Blue Note, please see The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings.

The Amazing Bud Powell is an album by American jazz pianist Bud Powell, recorded on August 8, 1949 and May 1, 1951 and released on Blue Note in April 1952, as a 10" vinyl. In the first session, Powell performed in quintet with Fats Navarro, Sonny Rollins, Tommy Potter and Roy Haynes, and in trio with Potter and Haynes. In the second, Powell performed in trio with Curley Russell and Max Roach, and solo.

Releases

The album was first released in April 1952 as a 10" LP in Blue Note's 5000 series (BLP 5003). This collected together eight tracks (four from each session) that had previously been released as 78 rpm singles in 1949 and 1951: "You Go to My Head c/w Ornithology" (BN 1566), "Bouncing with Bud c/w Wail" (BN 1567), "Over the Rainbow c/w A Night in Tunisia" (BN 1576), and "Un Poco Loco c/w It Could Happen to You" (BN 1577).

In March 1956, the album was re-issued as a 12" LP (BLP 1503), with seven additional tracks (including alternate takes, then a rarity) from both sessions, while "You Go to My Head" from the first session, and "Over the Rainbow" and "It Could Happen To You" (master take) from the second were moved to The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2, initiating the spread of the two sessions between the two volumes. This track listing was kept for the first digital remastering in 1985, when the album was re-issued on vinyl and cassette.

The album was remastered and re-issued on CD in 1989 in chronological order with additional, alternate takes. This version is also available along with Powell's 1947 Roost session on the first disc of The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings, a 4 disc box set.^[3] The album was remastered again in 2001 by Rudy Van Gelder and re-issued as part of Blue Note's The RVG Edition series, with further expansion and reorganization.

In 1989, the album was digitally remastered and released on CD. This time the tracks were listed in session chronological order, which involved "A Night in Tunisia" (both takes), "It Could Happen to You" (alternate take) and "Parisian Thoroughfare" moving to The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2 and "You Go to My Head", "Ornithology" (alternate take) and "Over the Rainbow" moving back. Three further alternate takes from the 1949 session were added, completing the session on this volume. The 1951 session still straddled the two volumes.

In 2001, Rudy Van Gelder remastered the album from scratch (he'd previously been credited with disc transfers on the 1989 remaster), and the album was re-issued as part of Blue Note's The RVG Edition series. This release finally united the two complete sessions on one disc, with all second session material on Vol. 2 being transferred. The track listing was also altered so that alternate takes were grouped after the master takes of each session, avoiding the somewhat relentless take repetition of the 1989 release.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	^[5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	^[6]

The album is rated highly within Powell's musical library, described by All About Jazz as "among the pianist's most important recordings"^[7] and by The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jazz (in conjunction with volume two) as "a great introduction to this awesome pianist".^[8] Jazz critic Scott Yanow characterized it in his book Jazz on Record as "full of essential music".^[9] The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings included the album in its suggested “core collection” of essential recordings.^[6]

In Bebop: The Best Musicians and Recordings, Yanow identifies among the highlights of the album "Bouncing with Bud", "52nd Street Theme" and "Dance of the Infidels," performed by the "very exciting quintet" of 1949, and also the 1951 trio's "three stunning versions of 'Un Poco Loco'".^[10] Barry Kernfeld in The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz notes with regards to "Un Poco Loco" that "the three takes [of the song]...enable us to hear the evolution of a masterpiece",^[11] a label with which a critic at The New York Times concurred.^[12]

The album is critically prized among Powell's releases. Among the more discussed of the album's tracks is the pianist's composition "Un Poco Loco" ("A Little Crazy"), which has been singled out by critics and cultural historians for its musical and cultural significance.

While the song "Un Poco Loco" has been identified as musically outstanding, it has also been discussed as culturally significant. According to Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop, although Afro-Cuban jazz had been introduced in the 1940s by such artists as Dizzy Gillespie and Machito, "Un Poco Loco" is a significant marker in the establishment of this musical genre, as it revealed "the Afro-Cuban turn settling into bebop's acceptable field of rhetorical conventions".^[13] More than Afro-Cuban, the authors of that book detect what they describe as a "Pan-African" musical influence in the composition's repetition, harmony and cyclic solo that, while not as obviously Afro-international as Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia', "certainly signaled a 'blackness' that became part of the language of subsequent expressions of modern jazz."^[14] The book Jazz 101 indicates that Powell's performances of this material in 1951 was "all the more astonishing" in its "level of creativity, and even authenticity" because little was known at the time of African music or how Latin music (aside from the Cuban influence) could be applied to jazz.^[15] According to Yanow, in Afro-Cuban Jazz: The Essential Listening Companion, this composition was Powell's only involvement with Afro-Cuban Jazz.^[16]

Track listing

1952 10" LP (BLP 5003)

All tracks are written by Bud Powell, except as noted.

Side 1
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Date recorded	Length
1.	"Un Poco Loco"		May 1, 1951	4:42
2.	"Over the Rainbow"	Harold Arlen E.Y. "Yip" Harburg	May 1, 1951	2:55
3.	"Ornithology"	Benny Harris Charlie Parker	August 9, 1949	2:20
4.	"Wail"		August 9, 1949	3:02

Side 2
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Date recorded	Length
1.	"A Night in Tunisia"	Dizzy Gillespie Frank Paparelli	May 1, 1951	4:12
2.	"It Could Happen to You"	Johnny Burke Jimmy Van Heusen	May 1, 1951	3:12
3.	"You Go to My Head"	J. Fred Coots Haven Gillespie	August 9, 1949	3:11
4.	"Bouncing with Bud"	Gil Fuller Powell	August 9, 1949	3:01

1956 12" LP (BLP 1503)

All tracks are written by Bud Powell, except as noted.

Side 1
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Date recorded	Length
1.	"Un Poco Loco" (alternate take #1)		May 1, 1951	3:46
2.	"Un Poco Loco" (alternate take #2)		May 1, 1951	4:28
3.	"Un Poco Loco"		May 1, 1951	4:42
4.	"Dance of the Infidels"		August 9, 1949	2:50
5.	"52nd Street Theme"	Thelonious Monk	August 9, 1949	2:45
6.	"It Could Happen to You" (alternate take)	Burke Van Heusen	May 1, 1951	3:12

Side 2
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Date recorded	Length
1.	"A Night in Tunisia" (alternate take)	Gillespie Paparelli	May 1, 1951	3:49
2.	"A Night in Tunisia"	Gillespie Paparelli	May 1, 1951	4:12
3.	"Wail"		August 9, 1949	3:02
4.	"Ornithology"	Harris Parker	August 9, 1949	2:20
5.	"Bouncing with Bud"	Fuller Powell	August 9, 1949	3:01
6.	"Parisian Thoroughfare"		May 1, 1951	3:23

CD reissues

All tracks are written by Bud Powell, except as noted.

1989 CD reissue
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Date recorded	Length
1.	"Bouncing with Bud" (alternate take #1)	Fuller Powell	August 9, 1949	3:03
2.	"Bouncing with Bud" (alternate take #2)	Fuller Powell	August 9, 1949	3:12
3.	"Bouncing with Bud"	Fuller Powell	August 9, 1949	3:01
4.	"Wail" (alternate take)		August 9, 1949	2:38
5.	"Wail"		August 9, 1949	3:02
6.	"Dance of the Infidels" (alternate take)		August 9, 1949	2:52
7.	"Dance of the Infidels"		August 9, 1949	2:50
8.	"52nd Street Theme"	Monk	August 9, 1949	2:45
9.	"You Go to My Head"	Coots H. Gillespie	August 9, 1949	3:11
10.	"Ornithology"	Harris Parker	August 9, 1949	2:20
11.	"Ornithology" (alternate take)	Harris Parker	August 9, 1949	3:07
12.	"Un Poco Loco" (alternate take #1)		May 1, 1951	3:46
13.	"Un Poco Loco" (alternate take #2)		May 1, 1951	4:28
14.	"Un Poco Loco"		May 1, 1951	4:42
15.	"Over the Rainbow"	Arlen Harburg	May 1, 1951	2:55

All tracks are written by Bud Powell, except as noted.

2001 RVG edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Date recorded	Length
1.	"Bouncing with Bud"	Fuller Powell	August 9, 1949	3:04
2.	"Wail"		August 9, 1949	3:06
3.	"Dance of the Infidels"		August 9, 1949	2:54
4.	"52nd Street Theme"	Monk	August 9, 1949	2:50
5.	"You Go to My Head"	Coots H. Gillespie	August 9, 1949	3:15
6.	"Ornithology"	Harris Parker	August 9, 1949	2:23
7.	"Bouncing with Bud" (alternate take #1)		August 9, 1949	3:06
8.	"Bouncing with Bud" (alternate take #2)		August 9, 1949	3:16
9.	"Wail" (alternate take)		August 9, 1949	2:42
10.	"Dance of the Infidels" (alternate take)		August 9, 1949	2:51
11.	"Ornithology" (alternate take)		August 9, 1949	3:12
12.	"Un Poco Loco"		May 1, 1951	4:46
13.	"Over the Rainbow"	Arlen Harburg	May 1, 1951	2:59
14.	"A Night in Tunisia"	Gillespie Paparelli	May 1, 1951	4:17
15.	"It Could Happen to You"	Burke Van Heusen	May 1, 1951	3:17
16.	"Parisian Thoroughfare"		May 1, 1951	3:26
17.	"Un Poco Loco" (alternate take #1)		May 1, 1951	3:49
18.	"Un Poco Loco" (alternate take #2)		May 1, 1951	4:32
19.	"A Night in Tunisia" (alternate take)		May 1, 1951	3:53
20.	"It Could Happen to You" (alternate take)		May 1, 1951	2:23

Personnel

Musicians

August 9, 1949

Bud Powell – piano
Fats Navarro – trumpet (except "You Go to My Head", "Ornithology")
Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone (except "You Go to My Head", "Ornithology")
Tommy Potter – bass
Roy Haynes – drums

May 1, 1951

Bud Powell – piano
Curley Russell – bass (except "Over the Rainbow", "It Could Happen to You")
Max Roach – drums (except "Over the Rainbow", "It Could Happen to You")

Technical personnel

Original

Alfred Lion – producer
Doug Hawkins – recording engineer
Rudy Van Gelder – mastering
John Hermansader – design
Francis Wolff – photography
Leonard Feather – liner notes

Reissue

Michael Cuscuna – producer
Rudy Van Gelder – disc transfers (1989); disc transfers, digital audio restoration and mastering (2001)
Leonard Feather (1989), Bob Blumenthal (2001) – liner notes
Ron McMaster (1989) – digital transfers

References

↑ Billboard, April 26, 1952.
↑ Billboard, March 31, 1956.
↑ The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings at AllMusic
↑ Janow, Scott, "The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 Review", AllMusic review.
↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 163. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1177. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
↑ Firehammer, John. (October 1, 2001) The Amazing Bud Powell Vols. 1 and 2 All About Jazz. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
↑ Axelrod, Alan; Alpha Development Group (1999). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jazz. Alpha Books. p. 167. ISBN 0-02-862731-8.
↑ Yanow, Scott (2003). Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years. Backbeat Books. p. 359. ISBN 0-87930-755-2.
↑ Yanow, Scott (2000). Bebop: The Best Musicians and Recordings. Backbeat Books. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-87930-608-4.
↑ Kernfeld, Barry Dean (1995). The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz. Blackwell Publishing. p. 232. ISBN 0-631-19552-1.
↑ Piazza, Tom (January 1, 1995). "How Two Pianists Remade (And Upheld) a Tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
↑ Ramsey, Jr., Guthrie P.; Guthrie P. Ramsey (2004). Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop. University of California Press. p. 127. ISBN 0-520-24333-1.
↑ Ramsey and Ramsey, 128–130.
↑ Szwed, John F. (2000). Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz. Hyperion. p. 170. ISBN 0-7868-8496-7.
↑ Yanow, Scott (2000). Afro-Cuban Jazz: The Essential Listening Companion. Backbeat Books. p. 188. ISBN 0-87930-619-X.

External links

NPR Basic Jazz Record Library entry, with audio samples.
Bud Powell at jazzdisco.org

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[1] Billboard, April 26, 1952.

[2] Billboard, March 31, 1956.

[3] The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings at AllMusic

[4] Janow, Scott, "The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 Review", AllMusic review.

[RSJRG-5] Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 163. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.

[Penguin-6] 1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1177. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

[7] Firehammer, John. (October 1, 2001) The Amazing Bud Powell Vols. 1 and 2 All About Jazz. Retrieved May 26, 2008.

[8] Axelrod, Alan; Alpha Development Group (1999). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jazz. Alpha Books. p. 167. ISBN 0-02-862731-8.

[9] Yanow, Scott (2003). Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years. Backbeat Books. p. 359. ISBN 0-87930-755-2.

[10] Yanow, Scott (2000). Bebop: The Best Musicians and Recordings. Backbeat Books. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-87930-608-4.

[11] Kernfeld, Barry Dean (1995). The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz. Blackwell Publishing. p. 232. ISBN 0-631-19552-1.

[Piazza-12] Piazza, Tom (January 1, 1995). "How Two Pianists Remade (And Upheld) a Tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2018.

[13] Ramsey, Jr., Guthrie P.; Guthrie P. Ramsey (2004). Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop. University of California Press. p. 127. ISBN 0-520-24333-1.

[14] Ramsey and Ramsey, 128–130.

[15] Szwed, John F. (2000). Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz. Hyperion. p. 170. ISBN 0-7868-8496-7.

[16] Yanow, Scott (2000). Afro-Cuban Jazz: The Essential Listening Companion. Backbeat Books. p. 188. ISBN 0-87930-619-X.

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Bud Powell
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release. Because Powell's discography features albums with the same title, record labels are identified to avoid any confusion.
As leader or co-leader	Earl Bud Powell, Vol. 1: Early Years of a Genius, 44–48 (1944–48) Bud Powell Trio (Roost, 1947–53) Jazz Giant/Piano Solos/Piano Solos, No.2 (1949–50) The Amazing Bud Powell (1949–51) The Genius of Bud Powell/Bud Powell's Moods (Mercury/Verve, 1950–51) Inner Fires (1953) The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2 (1953) Bud Powell's Moods (Norgran/Verve, 1956) Jazz Original/Bud Powell '57 (1954–55) The Lonely One... (1955) Piano Interpretations by Bud Powell (1955) Blues in the Closet (1956) Strictly Powell (1956) Bud! The Amazing Bud Powell (Vol. 3) (1957) Swingin' with Bud (1957) Bud Plays Bird (1957–58) Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell (Vol. 4) (1958) The Scene Changes: The Amazing Bud Powell (Vol. 5) (1958) Bud in Paris (1959–60) The Essen Jazz Festival Concert (1960) A Portrait of Thelonious (1961) A Tribute to Cannonball (and Don Byas, 1961) 'Round About Midnight at the Blue Note (1961) At the Golden Circle (1962) Bouncing with Bud (1962) Americans in Europe (split album, 1963) Bud Powell in Paris (1963) Relaxin' at Home (1961–64) The Invisible Cage (1964) Holidays in Edenville (1964) The Return of Bud Powell (1964) Award at Birdland (1964) Ups 'n Downs (c. 1965)
With others	Cootie Williams and His Orchestra 1941–1944 (Cootie Williams, Classics, 1944) New York Journeyman – Complete Recordings (Frank Socolow, 1945) Dexter Rides Again (Dexter Gordon, 1946) J. J. Johnson's Jazz Quintets (1946) Sonny Stitt/Bud Powell/J. J. Johnson (1949–50) One Night in Birdland (1950) Jazz at Massey Hall (Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Mingus, Max Roach, 1953) Mingus at Antibes (Charles Mingus, 1960) Paris Jam Session (Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, 1959) Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris (1963) Our Man in Paris (Dexter Gordon, 1963)
Compilations and Box-sets	The Best of Bud Powell on Verve (1949–55) The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings (1947–63) The Complete RCA Trio Sessions (1956–57) The Complete Bud Powell on Verve (1949–56)
Compositions	"Bouncing with Bud" (1946) "Tempus Fugue-it" (1949) "Parisian Thoroughfare" (1951) "Un Poco Loco" (1951) "Glass Enclosure" (1953) "Mediocre" (1955) "Una Noche con Francis" (1964)