Bud Powell's Blue Note "Parisian Thoroughfare"

[Matthew]

I've been listening a lot of Bud Powell's Blue Note work lately, and it is a fascinating journey. It's like one of those arcade games where there are many twist and turns, with surprising things appearing from unlikely places. I've read many time from critics that Glass Enclosure is the highlight of these recordings, and not only a highlight, but a look into the soul of Powell's, a self-portrait. That might be true for some but I disagree. That's not to say that "Glass Enclosure" isn't a great work of art: it is. However, as I listen to these recordings, I find that Parisian Thoroughfare is becoming more and more, the Bud Powell recording. Why do I say that? Here are a couple of reasons.

It contains great joy. Now joy and Bud Powell are not two words that you hear together too often! But when I listen to his music, I hear a great joy that comes out in much of his playing, and it cause me to laugh with joy sometimes. In the face of so much suffering that occured in Powell's life, he was still able to allow his music to have joy.

He wrote it: There are times when I feel just how great of a composer Powell was gets overlooked, and the melodrama take center stage. The fact is that Powell wrote great songs that still get overlooked.

It's an incomplete take: I find deep poingnancy in the fact that Parisian Thoroughfare an incomplete take. It just seems to sum up the mixed up, crazy, difficult life that was Powell's. Here he is, doing fantastic work on this song, and yet, something goes off kilter, and it winds up not a whole. Like Powell's life -- fantastic talent, and yet, stuff is always happening to mess it up. Kind of like real life in this world of ours.

Bud Powell music just touches me on so many levels it scary at times, but, after all, he is The Amazing Bud Powell!

[jazzbo]

Hey Matthew, GREAT points, well taken, and thanks for sharing them.

I also would add that the tune does a great job of being a tone poem to the city as well. It's a great composition and as you say his composition skills aren't talked up as much as they should be. He wrote very unique pieces!

Bud Powell. An amazing man!

[ghost of miles]

The Verve take was actually a complete one--I think. The Blue Note, as you say, was truncated.

I could go on & on about Bud Powell, who was my first great jazz piano love, and who remains my favorite artist on that instrument. His tunes seem to be making their way into the canon more frequently during the past few years, which is a wonderful thing. Matthew, if you can find them, check out the live 1953 recordings from Birdland, which have come out on two CDs from Fresh Sound, and four CDs from ESP. (ESP's AUTUMN 1953 featuers live versions of "Parisian" and "Glass Enclosure.") They catch Powell during his last consistently great stretch, although he certainly recorded much of worth & value after '53. (The Xanadu disc of BUD IN PARIS is a particular favorite of mine.)

[Guy Berger]

Can I just add that Jaki Byard's recording of "Parisian Thoroughfare" (w/Roland Kirk) is one of my favorite recordings? What a rollercoaster.

Guy

[SEK]

Can I just add that Jaki Byard's recording of "Parisian Thoroughfare" (w/Roland Kirk) is one of my favorite recordings?  What a rollercoaster.

Mine too!

There's also a nice version on Donald Byrd's "First Flight" with Yusef Lateef and Barry Harris. I've also heard memorable versions of "Parisian Thoroughfare" played by a Ronnie Mathews trio and by Stanley Cowell (solo).

[ghost of miles]

Also the classic Clifford Brown version, w/Richie Powell on piano.

[AfricaBrass]

I too, have been listening to a lot of Powell lately. Especially, THE SCENE CHANGES, I just can't stop spinning that disc.

I feel like when he's playing, he's playing with his soul. I know that sounds weird, but heck, I'm weird.

[Eric]

Bud is one of my all-time favorites and you all have reminded me why. Time to spin some Bud!!!

Eric

[Brad]

Of the Blue Note recordings, you obviously have to place Volumes 1 and 2 up there with his best work, perhaps some of the best work in jazz (just my feeling). But I've been listening a lot lately to Bud!, which came later and that is truly one of my favorite albums. Period. I have listened to Bud on Bach countless times and I cannot just get over that recording. Blue Pearl has been hailed as exquisite and deservedly so. Some Soul as well. The songs with Curtis Fuller are also very well done, top grade bop.

A recent addition that I've picked up (which GOM mentioned), which I think is also called Bud in Paris here in the US but the one I have is called Shaw Nuff made in France, mostly Bud from 1959 and 1960 but three from 1945, which is probably on Classics but was on Bebop Revisited. Otherwise hard to find. There's some amazing music on here and shows him in very good form.

Slightly off the subject, but for those who have a deep interest in Bud (and I admit I'm a recent member of the club), a must read is Francis Paudras' book about Bud, which is one of the most memorable books I've ever read. It's quite gripping.

Paudras makes the case that Bud was a co-inventor of what we call bop. The conventional wisdom has been that Bud Powell adopted Bird to the piano. When Paudras was in NY on the ill fated return, he visited Bud's father to find out why he wanted nothing to do with his son, and his father played him several home recordings of early Bud that showed he was onto new discoveries before Bird.

For those of you who don't have the Verve set on Bud, I'd suggest it, and not just for the music alone, but the book is incredible. There are countless photos and numerous interviews with Bud's contemporaries as well as over 50 pages of an analysis of his music by Barry Harris and Michael Weiss. It was originally a radio program on WKCR that was transcribed.

For any body interested in checking out a neat site, take a look at Bud Powell Site.

We probably ought to have a Bud Powell thread to give him justice.

[ghost of miles]

Thanks for the link, Brad. That's the first time I've seen a title for Peter Pullman's forthcoming bio; is it really on the way at last? Anybody heard, or heard from Peter lately?

[Brad]

I thought the following article on Bud Powell might be of interest. I came across it while doing a search on Francis Paudras. It's two articles, one of Bud, apparently before 1960 and a review of his opening at Birdland in 1964.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

I hear from Peter Pullman, currently living in Paris, on a fairly regular basis. He is still working hard on the book.

Mike

[Matthew]

Thanks for the update Mike. I'm really, really, looking forward to Pullman's biography -- he's a quality writer. I have a feeling that he will uncover aspects of Powell life that will be surprising, which, in turn, will cause a complete re-evaulation of Powell's life and work.

[Brad]

Ditto for me Mike. He wrote a very nice introduction to the Verve set. So we can only hope this comes out in the not too distant future.

[mikeweil]

Ditto for me! This will be one to read!

Back to topic: As great as Parisian Thoroughfare and Glass Enclosure are, I never feel comfortable when an artist of that caliber is "reduced" to one performance. To me, there is just as much essential Bud Powell in Un Poco Loco or his reniditon of Monk's Off Minor. And one ballad should be among them, don't have the time right now to go through them. Five pieces covering differing moods and grooves, that would be more like it, IMHO.

[ghost of miles]

Thanks for the update Mike. I'm really, really, looking forward to Pullman's biography -- he's a quality writer. I have a feeling that he will uncover aspects of Powell life that will be surprising, which, in turn, will cause a complete re-evaulation of Powell's life and work.

Yes, indeed, good news. Pullman has done an incredible amount of research--his work will easily supplant all that's come before.

I sense this thread sending me happily back to the Bud RVGs...