The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 [Original recording remastered]

Product Description
Bud's first two Blue Note dates are here in complete form. The 1949 session features the horns of Fats Navarro and Sonny Rollins (making his recording debut) on such be-bop anthems as "Bouncing With Bud" and "Dance Of The Infidels". This 1951 trio session with Curly Russell and Max Roach introduced "Un Poco Loco" and "Parisian Thoroughfare". Personnel: FATS NAVARRO, trumpet; SONNY ROLLINS, tenor sax; BUD POWELL, piano; TOMMY POTTER, bass; ROY HAYNES, drums (#1-11). BUD POWELL, piano; CURLY RUSSELL, bass; MAX ROACH, drums (#12-20).

The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1,Bud Powell,Blue Note Records,Bop,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

Average customer rating: Digging for Treasure Fantastic Amazing, and Quite Possibly Divine 2 sides of Bud. Amazing!!

The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 Bud Powell Manufacturer: Blue Note Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bebop | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2 The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 3 - Bud! Speak No Evil Song for My Father A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1 ASIN: B00005LANK Release Date: 2001-07-17

Tracks:

1. Bouncing With Bud
2. Wail
3. Dance Of The Infidels
4. 52nd Street Theme
5. You Go To My Head
6. Ornithology
7. Bouncing With Bud (Alternate Take #1)
8. Bouncing With Bud (Alternate Take #2)
9. Wail (Alternate Take)
10. Dance Of The Infidels (Alternate Take)
11. Ornithology (Alternate Take)
12. Un Poco Loco
13. Over The Rainbow
14. A Night In Tunisia
15. It Could Happen To You
16. Parisian Thoroughfare
17. Un Poco Loco (Alternate Take #1)
18. Un Poco Loco (Alternate Take #2)
19. A Night In Tunisia (Alternate Take)
20. It Could Happen To You (Alternate Take)

Album Description

Bud's first two Blue Note dates are here in complete form. The 1949 session features the horns of Fats Navarro and Sonny Rollins (making his recording debut) on such be-bop anthems as "Bouncing With Bud" and "Dance Of The Infidels". This 1951 trio session with Curly Russell and Max Roach introduced "Un Poco Loco" and "Parisian Thoroughfare". Personnel: FATS NAVARRO, trumpet; SONNY ROLLINS, tenor sax; BUD POWELL, piano; TOMMY POTTER, bass; ROY HAYNES, drums (#1-11). BUD POWELL, piano; CURLY RUSSELL, bass; MAX ROACH, drums (#12-20).

Customer Reviews:

Digging for Treasure.......2007-04-13

I'm fairly new to jazz and still hunting for treasures. Bud Powell influenced my hero Bill Evans and came recommended by jazz piano guru Mark Levine, so he deserved a listen. First impressions of this CD (before listening) were mixed. Expecting just piano trio cuts, I found the presence of quintet cuts disappointing (until I heard them). Alternate takes are scattered about on the CD, so listening straight through original album cuts requires conscious effort. On the bright side, the liner notes are interesting and frank, unlike some of the gushing in some CD's. If anything, they linger too long on the sensational details of Bud's troubled personal life.

The CD has been digitally re-mastered and white noise hiss is virtually absent. The great horn players bury the piano a bit on the quintet tracks. The trio tracks sound brighter, with more prominent piano. Bud's moaning is particularly noticeable on the trio cuts.

Bud was an innovator of style and a master of technique, yet more tasteful to my ears than Monk, Gillespie and Parker when pushing the envelope. He kept a coherent attitude throughout a song, whether playing a simple ballad, a harmonically rich original, or an over-the-top standard interpretation. Whereas Monk might use dissonances to "startle", Bud seems to use them throughout a song to set a mood. On the twelve quintet cuts, Bud has great give-and-take with Rollins and Navarro. The Russell/Roach rhythm section takes up the slack from the horns in the trio selections. The trio tracks venture well beyond bop into some interesting new territory. Powell runs the gamut of styles and emotions, whether swinging with Parker or Gillespie tunes, settling into a sweet ballad, or pulling out all the stops for a positively manic Somewhere Over the Rainbow solo. This CD is a joy from start to finish - definitely a treasure.

Fantastic.......2006-11-02

The opener, "Bouncing with Bud" is one of my top 5 favorite jazz tunes. It's absolutely infectious, as is this entire album. Powell is in great form and with sidemen like Sonny Rollins(only 19 at this time)and the great(and severely underrated)Fats Navarro on horns you just can't lose.

Because of his mental problems Bud had a scattered recording career. This cd is full of highlights and not to be missed. Get it.

Amazing, and Quite Possibly Divine.......2005-05-21

If you plan to invest in the complete "Amazing" series, then this is the place to start. Bud is the matrix of modern jazz piano, the Bird of the piano, the reason pianists began to speak about "blowing piano" rather than "playing" it.

On the other hand, if this is going to be your only disc representing Powell's inarguable genius, you may wish to consider a representative anthology. "The Definitive" and "The Ultimate Bud Powell" (compiled by Chic Corea) are both worthy collections, but the best bet is still the oop "The Best of Bud Powell: The Blue Note Years." Once you hear "Bud on Bach" you'll have a better understanding of the sublime baroque design of Bud's inventiveness at its apex.

I hesitate to suggest why Powell is so important--especially after reviewing another Powell recording and being chastized by subsequent reviewers for stopping short of complete idolatry of every aspect of his playing (maybe I'm monotheistic--jazz has traditionally recognized Art Tatum as the "God in the House"). Without commenting on his harmonic progressions and left-hand voicings, I feel safe in making the following claim: no pianist's right hand has combined such a lightning-fast, limitless melodic imagination with an equally impressive, dazzling yet flowing, rhythmic complexity. To listen to the brilliance of the playing on "Parisian Thoroughfare," only to have the self-critical Powell stop mid-stream and instruct the engineers to "cut it," is a supremely insightful moment into the mind of a superior creative being.

If the above is controversial because it's insufficient in its praise, I'm cheered that there are still listeners who care enough about Bud to insist on his deification. His music is certainly deserving of continued respect if not reverence.

2 sides of Bud........2005-01-05

Tracks 1 - 11: Fats Navarro - trumpet, Sonny Rollins - tenor sax, Bud Powell - piano, Tommy Potter - bass, Roy Haynes - drums. Recorded in 1949.

Tracks 12 - 20: Bud Powell - piano, Curley Russell - bass, Max Roach - drums. Recorded in 1951.

What can really be said about this album? It's almost easier to write about bad music than it is about great music. The whole higher purpose of music (with or without lyrics) is to express that which words cannot do justice, so how can anyone truly do any justice to great music by talking about it? I can't, but I try... if only for the sake of helping other people buy (or not) this or that disc.

Bud and friends are absolutely killin here! One the one hand, the larger band tracks have a certain lovelyness to them simply because everyone shines. Having Fats and Sonny there adds a whole different feel to the music, and more variety. You know there is a whole lot of melody going on with Fats and Sonny there! Of course there is also something to be said for the lean trio format of the later tracks. Being the featured soloist, Bud has more time and room to work with and stretch out, and he certainly knew how to make the most of it. This trio is brilliant, to put it bluntly.

On a later disc like Time Waits, Bud is a little off. Not off-off, really, but more like... Ragged but Right. He could still do it, but you can tell he was having to work for it. Here though, on Amazing Powell Volume 1... it doesn't sound like he's working for anything. He just has it. All of it. It's just flowing out of him like sweat.

Bud was a brilliant musician and it's dripping out of him on this disc.

Amazing!!.......2004-08-31

I had heard Powell before on the Massey Hall concert and on the Mingus Antibes CD's. I was not impressed, so I bought this one just because it was on sale. I'm so glad I did. Bud Powell was one of those guys that had plenty of bad to average recording dates. But when he was at his best, he was untochable. Well, these sessions find him at his best and most historic. Every track is a highlihgt. His 1949 bop session is one of the best bop sessions I have heard, up there with the best of Bird, Dizzy and Monk.

Average customer rating: Classic Bud Powell Bud's the man! Good

The Amazing Bud Powell - Vol. 1. Bud Powell Manufacturer: Blue Note Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bebop | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2 ASIN: B000005HBN Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Bouncing With Bud (Alternate Take #1)
2. Bouncing With Bud (Alternate Take #2)
3. Bouncing With Bud
4. Wail (Alternate Take)
5. Wail
6. Dance Of The Infidels (Alternate Take)
7. Dance Of The Infidels
8. 52nd Street Theme
9. You Go To My Head
10. Ornithology
11. Ornithology (Alternate Take)
12. Un Poco Loco (Alternate Take)
13. Un Poco Loco (Alternate Take)
14. Un Poco Loco
15. Over The Rainbow

Amazon.com

Along with Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell was one of bebop's two great pianists. Unlike Monk, whose brilliant primitivism transcended bebop and transformed jazz composition, Powell took the lessons of his jazz piano forebears--most notably Art Tatum--and applied them to the emerging small group style. Powell's own resulting style combined a rapid and fluid right hand with a moody, almost dissonant approach to chord work, and the combination proved thoroughly modern.

The first of two similarly-titled albums, The Amazing Bud Powell is culled from a quintet and two trio dates recorded in 1949 and '51. Volume 1 is anchored by three versions of Powell's "Un Poco Loco," featuring bassist Curly Russell and drummer Max Roach, that demonstrate the composition's evolution. Among the album's other outstanding tracks are quintet versions of "Wail" and "Bouncing with Bud" featuring tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and the great but rarely recorded trumpeter Fats Navarro. A whimsical trio version of Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare"--best known as a vehicle for the Max Roach-Clifford Brown quintet--rounds out this superb collection. --Fred Goodman

Customer Reviews:

Classic Bud Powell.......2001-07-11

Bud Powell was one the giants of modern music, the equal of Charlie Parker and pianistically, the equal of Art Tatum. To this day, Powell is underappreciated for his innovations, and for the new pianistic language he created. His recording career was tragically inconsistent, mirroring his torturous life. There is no question that at his best, nobody on earth could (and still cannot) touch Bud Powell. "Amazing Bud Powell" v. 1 is typically the first stop for those interested in Powell. It is one of the great recordings, and offers Powell at his best. The quintets, which contain the definitive performances of "Bouncing With Bud" and "Dance of the Infidels" are superb. Fats Navarro and Sonny Rollins are magnificent as well. The trio cuts are jaw droppers, particularly the haunting rendition of "You Go to My Head", and the acrobatic takes of "Un Poco Loco" (which for some, may be hard to get into). Newcomers to Powell should probably begin with the 1949-1951 Verve trios and work their way here.

Bud's the man!.......1999-12-15

I'm not a big fan of alternate takes myself, but on this record, they're a treat. Listen to the way Bud creates new solos take after take (while his famous sidemen play the same solo over and over), and you'll conclude that he was drawing from either a limitless imagination or a *huge* bag of riffs. Either way, this is a great CD of Bud at his best.

Good.......1998-12-05

Bud Powell is considered the best bop pianist of all-time. This album is a nice introduction to his work, although personally, I prefer Vol. 2 (not as many alternates). Also, this album succumbs to my pet peeve: placing alternate versions immediately after the released takes. CD programming will remove that little problem.

Average customer rating:

The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 Bud Powell Manufacturer: Blue Note Japan ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00000JX62 Release Date: 2003-06-02

Tracks:

1. Poco Loco [1st Take]
2. Poco Loco [2nd Take]
3. Poco Loco
4. Dance of the Infidels
5. 52nd Street Theme
6. It Could Happen to You [Alternate Master]
7. Night in Tunisia [Alternate Master]
8. Night in Tunisia
9. Wail
10. Ornithology
11. Bouncing with Bud
12. Parisian Thoroughfare

Album Details

Japanese Release featuring 24bit Mastering and a Limited Edition LP Style Slipcase for Initial Pressing Only.

Average customer rating:

The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 Bud Powell Manufacturer: EMI/Blue Note ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ASIN: B000006ZQV Release Date: 1995-07-26

Tracks:

1. Poco Loco [1st Take]
2. Poco Loco [2nd Take]
3. Poco Loco
4. Dance of the Infidels
5. 52nd Street Theme
6. It Could Happen to You [Alternate Master]
7. Night in Tunisia [Alternate Master]
8. Night in Tunisia
9. Wail
10. Ornithology
11. Bouncing with Bud
12. Parisian Thoroughfare

Average customer rating:

The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 Bud Powell Manufacturer: EMI/Blue Note ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ASIN: B000228WLA Release Date: 2004-06-21

Tracks:

1. Bouncing with Bud [Alternate Take #1]
2. Bouncing with Bud [Alternate Take #2]
3. Bouncing with Bud
4. Wail [Alternate Take]
5. Wail
6. Dance of the Infidels [Alternate Take]
7. Dance of the Infidels
8. 52nd Street Theme
9. You Go to My Head
10. Ornithology
11. Ornithology [Alternate Take]
12. Poco Loco [Alternate Take]
13. Poco Loco [Alternate Take]
14. Poco Loco
15. Over the Rainbow

Album Details

24bit digitally remastered Japanese release.

Average customer rating:

Amazing Bud Powell Vol. 1 Rm J Bud Powell ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000DM45

Average customer rating:

Vol. 1-Amazing Bud Powell Bud Powell ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music ASIN: B0002XNDPO

Album Description

Japanese-only title from Blue Note's 1500 series, featuring20 bit mastering and 12 tracks recorded in 1949 & 1951 withthe likes of Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, FatsNavarro, Curly Russell and Tommy Potter. Includes 'Un PocoLoco', 'Dance Of The Infidels' and '52nd St. Theme'.

Pop Music:

1. The Best of Earl Klugh
2. The Best of George Benson
3. The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years
4. The Best of the Concord Years
5. The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions
6. The Far East Suite
7. The Giants
8. The Great Concert of Charles Mingus [Live]
9. The Lester Young Story [Box set]
10. The Original Quartet With Chet Baker [2-CD SET]

Pop Music