Bud Powell, Instrumental and Classic jazz Artist
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Pianist Bud Powell’s lyrical style seemed to effortlessly blend arpeggios with chromatic notes, which he topped off with left hand movements reminiscent of early stride. This revolutionary combination made him a founding father of bebop, but his accomplishments were cut short by mental deterioration.
Earl Rudolph “Bud” Powell was born on September 27th, 1924 in New York City. His father and grandfather were musicians, as were many of his siblings, including his older brother Richard, a trumpeter, and his younger brother Richie, who played piano with Max Roach but died in a car accident with trumpeter Clifford Brown in 1956.
By his teens, Powell had soaked up much of the stylings of stride king James P. Johnson, as well as stride-inspired playing of Art Tatum and the swing of Teddy Wilson. When Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem was home to the late night jam sessions that birthed the bebop movement, Powell was there along with Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Christian, experimenting and molding the new music. Parker’s playing in particular inspired Powell to bring the saxophonist’s ideas to the piano, spawning a style that influenced every piano player who followed him.
Powell’s first professional gig was with Cootie Williams’ big band, with whom he made his recording debut in 1944. Playing with Williams helped Powell make a name for himself on the Harlem jam session scene, where he met Thelonious Monk, who became his close friend. Monk immortalized Powell with his composition “In Walked Bud.”
In 1946, Powell recorded with tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. These sessions have been issued under a variety of names including Long Tall Dexter and Dexter Rides Again. Also playing on this session are drummer Max Roach and bassist Curley Russell. That same year, Powell recorded with singer Sarah Vaughn and the Tadd Dameron Orchestra as well as with trombonist J.J. Johnson’s Beboppers, which featured Max Roach on drums and Leonard Gaskin on bass. Powell stayed busy throughout 1946, performing and recording with trumpeter Kenny Dorham, saxophonist Sonny Stitt, drummer Kenny Clarke, and trumpeter Fats Navarro.
Powell first recorded as a leader in 1947, releasing The Bud Powell Trio with drummer Max Roach and bassist Curley Russell, which featured such songs as “Bud’s Bubble.” The album brought Powell popular acclaim, and has proven to be one of his most enduring recordings. That same year, Powell made an appearance on the Miles Davis’s recording debut with the Charlie Parker All Stars, along with Tommy Potter on bass and Max Roach on drums.
In November of 1947, Powell’s was admitted to the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, where he stayed for more than a year and underwent electroshock therapy, which caused severe memory loss. It is likely that Powell’s mental difficulties were exacerbated by a brutal police beating he suffered in 1945 for alleged disorderly conduct.
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