Jazz pianist, born in New York City, USA. Playing from the age of six, he became involved with the modern jazz movement in the 1940s, with encouragement from Thelonious Monk. A head injury sustained in an attack heralded a series of visits to mental hospitals; nevertheless, he was the most influential jazz pianist of his time. He was the first choice to work and record with top New York players until he moved to Paris (195964), where he led a trio featuring US expatriate drummer, Kenny Clarke. The film Round Midnight (1986) was partly based on his life.
Life
Powell's grandfather was a flamenco guitarist, and his father was a stride pianist. His older brother William played the trumpet, and by the age of fifteen Powell was playing in his brother's band. Powell had learned classical piano from an early age before becoming interested in jazz, especially Art Tatum and stride pianist James P. Thelonious Monk was an important early teacher and mentor, and a close friend throughout Powell's life, dedicating the composition "In Walked Bud" to Powell. In the early forties Powell played in a number of bands, including that of Cootie Williams, and in 1944 his first recording date was with Williams's band. Monk also introduced Powell to the circle of bebop musicians starting to form at Minton's Playhouse, and other early recordings included sessions with Frank Socolow, Dexter Gordon, J.
Powell's first session as a leader was in a trio with Curly Russell and Max Roach, recorded in 1947 but not released until two years later, by Roost. The young Jackie McLean and Sonny Rollins became friendly with Powell on his release from the hospital, and Powell recommended McLean to Miles Davis.
It is generally agreed that his best recordings are those made prior to 1954, both for Blue Note Records and for Norman Granz (at Mercury Records, Norgran Records, Clef Records and later on Verve Records). The first Blue Note session, in August 1949, features Fats Navarro, Sonny Rollins, Powell, Tommy Potter and Roy Haynes, and the compositions Bouncing with Bud and Dance of the Infidels.
Powell recorded for both Blue Note and Verve throughout the fifties, interrupted by another long stay in a mental hospital from late 1951 to early 1953, following arrest for possession of marijuana. A 1953 trio session for Blue Note (with Duvivier and Taylor) included Powell's composition Glass Enclosure, inspired by his near-imprisonment in Goodstein's apartment. Three albums for Blue Note in the late fifties showcased Powell's ability as a composer, but his playing was nowhere near the standard set by his earlier recordings for the label.
In Paris, Powell worked in a trio with Pierre Michelot and Kenny Clarke. In December 1961 he recorded two albums for Columbia Records under the aegis of Cannonball Adderley - A Portrait of Thelonious (with Michelot and Clarke), and A Tribute to Cannonball (with the addition of Don Byas and Idrees Sulieman — despite the title, Adderley only plays on one alternate take). Eventually Powell was befriended by Francis Paudras, a commercial artist and amateur pianist, and Powell moved into Paudras's home in 1962. There was a brief return to Blue Note in 1963, when Dexter Gordon recorded Our Man in Paris for the label - Powell was a last-minute substitution for Kenny Drew, and the album of standards showed him to still be capable of playing well.
In 1986 Paudras wrote a book about his friendship with Powell, translated into English in 1997 as Dance of the Infidels: A Portrait of Bud Powell (the title is derived from one of Bud's compositions). The book was the basis for Round Midnight, a film inspired by the lives of Bud Powell and Lester Young, in which Dexter Gordon played the lead role of an expatriate jazzman in Paris.
Selected compositions
As well as a pianist of great skill, Powell was a prolific composer. Some of his most famous compositions include:
Un Poco Loco Tempus Fugue-It (aka Tempus Fugit) Dance of the Infidels Bouncing with Bud Cleopatra's Dream Hallucinations Celia Budo
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