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Bud Powell: Live at Birdland 1957


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From the Eastwind web site:

"A discovery of the century!
Never-before-released live recording by Bud Powell from Birdland in 1957!
Very good sound quality engineered by the Bell Sound Systems!
Individually numbered limited edition - only 999 copies pressed!


This live recording by Bud Powell with his quintet featuring Donald Byrd, Phil Woods, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor was not only never released before, but never even mentioned in any discography or documents, thus completely unknown to us.

Powell was in a so-called "stable" period in October 1957, and with the stellar, younger musicians, performed superbly. Everyone gets to stretch as each of the four tunes here lasts at least nine minutes and as long as 15 minutes. In addition to the great performance and the rare combination of musicians, the quality of the recorded sound, although monaural, is pretty good. According to Symphony Sid, who emceed the concert, this session was recorded by the Bell Sound Systems and intended to be released by the Roulette label. Nobody knows why it did not happen and this tape was left undiscovered for 56 years. In addition, as far as we know, this release contains the only "Lover Man" ever recorded by Powell.

This is undoubtedly the most highly anticipated historical release of the year! A must-have item for all jazz enthusiasts!

Recorded live at Birdland, New York City, in October 1957. Mono."

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Well, I´m lookin forward purchasing that.

About "Lover Man": It´s not the only '"Lover Man" But recorded.

He did a short but very nice version with Pierre Michelot and Kenny Clarke on the "Life at Blue Note Cafe" which was reissued on ESP Disk.

There is some confusion if it was done in 1961 or 1962, but it´s a very good record, much better than "Portrait of Thelonious" and as I said, the only "Lover Man" until then. He plays it with the original arrangement, with the intro and the coda, like Diz and Bird did it with Sarah Vaughan......

I wondered why Bud didn´t play it more often. He played "I remember Clifford" almost on every record from 1961 on, but seemed to have "forgotten" about Lover Man......

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I´m really lookin forward hearing this CD, for more than one reason:

1) I got recordings of Bud from November 1957 at Club Saint Germain (Cookin´at Saint Germain) and he really plays very fine, so he must have been in better form than the years before.

2) because it´s with two great horn players. There are too many trio albums of Bud. Even if Bud plays fine on let´s say "Bud plays Bird" also from 1957 for Roulette, it´s not very interesting because of the quite unispired Duvivier and Art Taylor. Nothin´happenin from the rhythm section, bop is much more than just keepin time. Same on the Victors, not very much happenin.

3) Dance of the Infidels: I remember during the same year 1957, Donald Byrd recorded it on an Hank Mobley album for Blue Note, so it might be very interesting what he did with it when playing it with the composer himself.

4) Groovin High: Bud didn´t play it very often. One time with Zoot Sims, and another time in Sweden at Golden Circle, and Lover Man, because I got only one recorded version of Bud playing it (very fine) in Paris.....

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I don't see the CD you're looking for when I go to the East Wind site.

I'm sure they'll eventually have it.

That was my assumption and why I posted the link.

I emailed Eastwind yesterday & received a quick response - they will be getting in copies of this & the new Eric Dolphy CD (Muses) ASAP - were released on Nov 25 in Japan

Maximum Rare Records has copies listed (Japanese online dealer - been dealing with them for the past 2 years & service is good plus shipping rates are low)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUD-POWELL-LIVE-BIRDLAND-1957-JAPAN-ISSUE-CD-999-Ltd-Ed-G00-/271332405871?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item3f2cabf26f

I bought this from this seller on 11/29, still have not received shipping notice (or product) and have just sent my second request for an update (or refund if the item will not be available)...what is your experience with this seller's communication?

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I don't see the CD you're looking for when I go to the East Wind site.

I'm sure they'll eventually have it.

That was my assumption and why I posted the link.

I emailed Eastwind yesterday & received a quick response - they will be getting in copies of this & the new Eric Dolphy CD (Muses) ASAP - were released on Nov 25 in Japan

Maximum Rare Records has copies listed (Japanese online dealer - been dealing with them for the past 2 years & service is good plus shipping rates are low)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUD-POWELL-LIVE-BIRDLAND-1957-JAPAN-ISSUE-CD-999-Ltd-Ed-G00-/271332405871?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item3f2cabf26f

I bought this from this seller on 11/29, still have not received shipping notice (or product) and have just sent my second request for an update (or refund if the item will not be available)...what is your experience with this seller's communication?

My copies shipped yesterday (Powell & Dolphy) from Maximum Rare Records - there can sometimes be a delay between purchasing & shipping with this mob but they have always come through for me (including replying to emails)

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been listening; interesting document; best on it is Phil Woods; Bud is good, his ideas are strong - though it has that stringy lack of definition that characterized a lot of his post 1953 work; the ideas are there and the execution is about 85 percent, I would say; and I always find Bud's musical mind to be the most compelling of any musician in recorded history, at least to my ears. But I gotta say I am a little disappointed.

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I don't see the CD you're looking for when I go to the East Wind site.

I'm sure they'll eventually have it.

That was my assumption and why I posted the link.

I emailed Eastwind yesterday & received a quick response - they will be getting in copies of this & the new Eric Dolphy CD (Muses) ASAP - were released on Nov 25 in Japan

Maximum Rare Records has copies listed (Japanese online dealer - been dealing with them for the past 2 years & service is good plus shipping rates are low)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUD-POWELL-LIVE-BIRDLAND-1957-JAPAN-ISSUE-CD-999-Ltd-Ed-G00-/271332405871?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item3f2cabf26f

I bought this from this seller on 11/29, still have not received shipping notice (or product) and have just sent my second request for an update (or refund if the item will not be available)...what is your experience with this seller's communication?

My copies shipped yesterday (Powell & Dolphy) from Maximum Rare Records - there can sometimes be a delay between purchasing & shipping with this mob but they have always come through for me (including replying to emails)

Thanks. Do you communicate through eBay, or is there another avenue?

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I don't see the CD you're looking for when I go to the East Wind site.

I'm sure they'll eventually have it.

That was my assumption and why I posted the link.

I emailed Eastwind yesterday & received a quick response - they will be getting in copies of this & the new Eric Dolphy CD (Muses) ASAP - were released on Nov 25 in Japan

Maximum Rare Records has copies listed (Japanese online dealer - been dealing with them for the past 2 years & service is good plus shipping rates are low)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUD-POWELL-LIVE-BIRDLAND-1957-JAPAN-ISSUE-CD-999-Ltd-Ed-G00-/271332405871?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item3f2cabf26f

I bought this from this seller on 11/29, still have not received shipping notice (or product) and have just sent my second request for an update (or refund if the item will not be available)...what is your experience with this seller's communication?

My copies shipped yesterday (Powell & Dolphy) from Maximum Rare Records - there can sometimes be a delay between purchasing & shipping with this mob but they have always come through for me (including replying to emails)

Thanks. Do you communicate through eBay, or is there another avenue?

both (ebay & direct email - see below)

"eBay Member: ftfym65" <ftfym6_evn2758qjo@members.ebay.com>

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1) not sure I would spend $30 + for an Eric Dolphy recording that is all over the place for about $1.99; Alan Douglas' work was basically all bootleg anyway (lots of unauthorized release) and just for one new new tune I don't think it's worth it; and there's also plenty of vinyl around of this session.

2) the Bud, as I mention above, is disappointing; don't know whether to sell mine or hold on to it as an investment.

Edited by AllenLowe
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1) not sure I would spend $30 + for an Eric Dolphy recording that is all over the place for about $1.99; Alan Douglas' work was basically all bootleg anyway (lots of unauthorized release) and just for one new new tune I don't think it's worth it; and there's also plenty of vinyl around of this session.

2) the Bud, as I mention above, is disappointing; don't know whether to sell mine or hold on to it as an investment.

Agree re: the Dolphy - not about the Bud.

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Peter Pullman’s encyclopedic “Wail – The Life of Bud Powell” mentions this session on page 270, with a subsequent footnote:

“Levy gave Powell a Monday night to play at Birdland, so that he could record him leading a quintet and issue it in stereo on Roulette. (55)

Footnote 55

An early example of live, stereo recorded in a nightclub, the music has great fidelity. Powell leads a quintet with younger soloists - Donald Byrd on trumpet and Phil Woods on alto saxophone. But aside from Byrd, the playing is ragged, and the music will probably never be authorized for issue in a commercial format”.

I think the sound is reasonable. I would definitely disagree that the playing is “ragged”. – rather it’s hot and spontaneous.

To my ears, this is great Bud, stretching out on the changes as only he can. It’s also an excellent front line. Phil Woods is on fire and Donald Byrd plays well, although to my ears he perhaps plays one or two choruses too many on some tracks. The rhythm section is also fine, although again personally I could have done with a few less choruses from Paul Chambers (bowing).

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as I mentioned, it's very decent Bud, the ideas are there, but I do think his execution has that less-than-defined quality that hit him regularly post-1953.

recording-wise, the reason this was probably never issued is that the balance is a mess - the horns are way back, for one thing, and the rhythm section is way too up.

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Peter Pullman’s encyclopedic “Wail – The Life of Bud Powell” mentions this session on page 270, with a subsequent footnote:

“Levy gave Powell a Monday night to play at Birdland, so that he could record him leading a quintet and issue it in stereo on Roulette. (55)

Footnote 55

An early example of live, stereo recorded in a nightclub, the music has great fidelity. Powell leads a quintet with younger soloists - Donald Byrd on trumpet and Phil Woods on alto saxophone. But aside from Byrd, the playing is ragged, and the music will probably never be authorized for issue in a commercial format”.

I think the sound is reasonable. I would definitely disagree that the playing is “ragged”. – rather it’s hot and spontaneous.

To my ears, this is great Bud, stretching out on the changes as only he can. It’s also an excellent front line. Phil Woods is on fire and Donald Byrd plays well, although to my ears he perhaps plays one or two choruses too many on some tracks. The rhythm section is also fine, although again personally I could have done with a few less choruses from Paul Chambers (bowing).

OK, so this does appear to be a bootleg - the owner would currently be Universal (owner of all Roulette material).

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Got mine yesterday.

Now about the music:

That´s really a great live recording, I love it !

First of all: Bud really plays very very fine here. I don´t know why so many people keep telling that Bud after 1953 was finished. Here he has made trememdous steps since his somewhat shaky late 1954/early 1955 sessions.

He´s even better, much better than on his 1957 studio sessions for RCA and BN, especially on Ornithology and Dance of the Infidels he really stretches out, that´s vintage Bud Powell.

On "Groovin ´ High".....maybe....he sounds a bit more tentative, but I think he didn´t play that tune often. His "Groovin High" with Zoot Sims, 4-5 years later is done at a slower, more relaxed pace and Bud played the tune again at "Golden Circle" (Sweden).

"Lover Man" is just beauty: Bud didn´t play that tune often, the only other version was done in Paris at the Café BlueNote, but on both occasions he sticks to the famous bop arrangement (Sarah with Diz and Bird). Bud really plays great on that, with some Tatumesque runs.....

I like Donald Byrd very much and he´s a great choice here, the ideal trumpet player for such a session. I´m not familiar with Phil Woods work, my natural choice , especially with Byrd would have been Jackie McLean, but that´s really beautiful alto, very much in the Bird tradition, with many of Birds patented licks, but in an individual manner, so Phil Woods really fits in.

Paul Chambers´ bowed bass on Ornithology is fantastic. Chambers and Art Taylor must have recorded together almost weekly for BlueNote during that time.

Art Taylor is really great on that.

I´ve mentioned earlier that he sounded boring on some studio work with Bud, but know I know it´s the fault of the engineers, they didn´t record him properly, and you just can´t play only brushes behind a bop giant like Bud, you have to cook, and exactly that´s what Art Taylor does here.

I´m glad to have a recording where you hear the drummer, I hate recordings where you can´t hear what he does, even if the sound quality otherwise is good.

And all those who write off Bud´s later work: Did you ever consider that this man had to play the pianos they usually have in night clubs, damp rooms, bad tuned pianos, the mecanic stiff, you have to face that and if the piano is in sad condiditon, you have to slow down a bit to make it sound.

And: Bud NEVER complained about a bad piano !

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