Bud Powell
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Earl Rudolph “Bud” Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was one of the most influential pianists in the history of jazz. Along with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie he was instrumental in the development of bebop, and his virtuosity as a pianist led many to call him “the Charlie Parker of the piano”.
Powell was perhaps the first pianist to vocalize on the piano, meaning that he transfered his vocalized improvisations directly through his hands to the instrument. This gave his music a deep connection to time, which is an artifact of the human voice. Previously, horn players were more likely to express their improvisations vocally, as the mouth and breath are directly tied to the performance of horn players.
Powell suffered from Bi-Polar Disorder, and in November 1947, Powell was admitted to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, where he stayed for more than a year, receiving electroconvulsive therapy which caused severe memory loss. The young Jackie McLean and Sonny Rollins became friendly with Powell on his release from the hospital, and Powell recommended McLean to Miles Davis. However, Powell suffered from mental illness throughout his life, and had a reputation for his strange behaviour. In fact his problems, exacerbated by a beating from the police in 1945 for being disorderly, could all be attributed to being a manic depressive, although his illness was almost certainly a key driver of his immense creative talent.
Powell was perhaps the first pianist to vocalize on the piano, meaning that he transfered his vocalized improvisations directly through his hands to the instrument. This gave his music a deep connection to time, which is an artifact of the human voice. Previously, horn players were more likely to express their improvisations vocally, as the mouth and breath are directly tied to the performance of horn players.
Powell suffered from Bi-Polar Disorder, and in November 1947, Powell was admitted to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, where he stayed for more than a year, receiving electroconvulsive therapy which caused severe memory loss. The young Jackie McLean and Sonny Rollins became friendly with Powell on his release from the hospital, and Powell recommended McLean to Miles Davis. However, Powell suffered from mental illness throughout his life, and had a reputation for his strange behaviour. In fact his problems, exacerbated by a beating from the police in 1945 for being disorderly, could all be attributed to being a manic depressive, although his illness was almost certainly a key driver of his immense creative talent.
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Shoutbox
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Druid66 wrote:
A wizard on the keys.
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grahamr93 wrote:
the greatest
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iDearBach wrote:
moaning, damn. better than sex
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progtrance7 wrote:
someone
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jiveraptor wrote:
"This gave his music a deep connection to time, which is an artifact of the human voice." lol
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robotbot wrote:
impossible is nothing. he proved it
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Theeboon wrote:
Impossible.
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YeolEumSon wrote:
he plays the piano like a saxophone great!!!! Thats Music! in all senses!
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chillhood wrote:
exquisiteness
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miqmiranda wrote:
muy bueno!!
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Cousin_Eddy wrote:
Brilliant!
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wingsoftoast wrote:
I love Bud - but Monk sounds more like today.
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Sidewinder707 wrote:
I'm influenced, amazed and inspired by so many artists whose contributions were MONUMENTAL to the jazz idiom. However, if I was only allowed to name one person who, directly and indirectly, contributed the most to advancing the jazz idiom, (inc. modernizing jazz piano), I pick Bud Powell. Without him, would we have had Bill Evans? McCoy Tyner? Chick Corea? Keith Jarrett, to name a few? Please correct me if I'm wrong. I believe I'm fairly learned in this area, but by no means am I a scholar or historian. To the best of my knowledge, he was one of the first, if not the first pianist to conceptualize "King Parker's" blazing tempos, exquisitely executed melodies and contrafacts using a linear approach. It's likely this is why he was dubbed "Charlie Parker of the piano." Bud contributed SO much to the jazz idiom and to the advancement of contemporary piano performance in his short tragic life! It's an OUTRAGE his genius was never recognized much less appreciated while he was alive!
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ccex wrote:
Why does everyone now play Monk tunes while so many Bud Powell compositions remain obscure? The two composer/pianists (along with Elmo Hope) were very close lifelong friends . Bud's heyday found Monk in obscurity, Monk was granted jazz sainthood postumously, with his work now required listening in any high school/college jazz course and necesary to know at any jam session. But why dont Bud's gems like the ballads "I'll Keep Loving You" and "Time Waits" get the respect of "Ruby My Dear" or "Ask Me Now"? I've made many musician friends who know Monk when I introduce them to obscure Bud Powell tunes like "Buster Rides Again", "I'm In the Mood for a Classic", or "Jump City" for the first time.
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THXmille138 wrote:
sto figlio di puttana sa suonare davvero
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Philistine88 wrote:
simply the greatest jazz pianist the world has ever known. An absolute tragedy that he hasn't gotten the limelight. He deserves the same recognition as Monk.
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allbadendsall wrote:
i'm having a hard time finding anything for some reason.
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sGarrista- wrote:
bud powell owns, to say the very least
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Dardan-H wrote:
"If I had to choose a single musician according to his artistic merit and the originality of his creation, but also for the greatness of his work, it would be Bud Powell. Nobody could measure up to him." - Bill Evans
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SirAlecHendrix wrote:
Bud Powell—now connected to the brandnew group ➤ Round Midnight
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