Customer Reviews

Bud Plays Bird

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These late 1950s tracks originally recorded for Roulette, were rediscovered and rescued by Michael Cuscuna (kudos for his work). A solid, relatively good performance from that period of Powell's recording career. Powell shows flashes, but there is a casual repetitive undercurrent, a lack of dynamic tension, even when Powell hits top speed ("Big Foot", "KoKo", "Moose the Mooche"). Part of the blame is Art Taylor's somewhat boring drumming. He had already moved into a sparer, more Monk-like sound, his terrifying brilliance from his earlier days, dimmed. Compare his treatment of "Ornithology" here to his Blue Note 1949 recording ("Amazing Bud Powell" v.1). Bud Plays Bird ranks with Bud's later Blue Notes. While individual cuts are brilliant, the date as a whole is simply "pretty okay".

Bud Powell and Charlie Parker made some of the most amazing 50's jazz together. One concert produced the famous "Jazz At Massey Hall" album. Parker passed away in 1955, and Bud Powell was by then considered to be past his prime, due to mental health problems. This 1958 shows that Bud Powell could still play very well. This CD has 14 Charlie Parker songs and "Salt Peanuts" by Dizzy Gillespie near the end. The songs are taken at a pretty fast pace, and luckily Powell had a good rhythm section to help. George Duvivier on bass and Art Taylor on drums keep things interesting and fill in any spots Powell lays out. Most of the songs have good melodies, and Powell doesn't overstay any of their welcomes. If any of this interests you, you should get it.

Bud Powell was one of the very few of the great bebop giants that could be compared to Bird in terms of genius and creativity. He was that big. Bud technique at the piano was outstanding and he was the ultimate bop pianist, the only one able to write incredible intricate melodies that can match Parker phenomenal theme. But Bird and Bud were not easy characters and they didn't love each other, probably because they both were, genius yes, but insane and dangerous people. And you know two yardbirds can't live in the same poultry house. It is commonly known that occasionally when they played together they used to fight. Two genius at the same time are one too many. But they were both genius, out of question. Unfortunately Bud did this tribute to Bird (and to Diz, if you look carefully in the program) a little too late, after his serious mental illness and electro shock "therapy". They more or less destroyed him as a musician. I mean, he's still great, men, he's Bud, but he's not Verve's Bud Powell, the one who recorded impeccable gems like Jazz Giant or The Genius of BP. After the cure he couldn't play like he used to do anymore. He's a little more mechanical in his ideas here, ideas that flow with a little more fatigue than before, ... just a little, but you can feel it. Sure a full program of Bird's gems played by Bud is something a true hipster can't lose, ... at the end of the day I still love it very much, but be prepared, on this late fifties Roulette session Bud was a little more than a shadow of the piano mother....er he used to be.

No one knew Charlie Parker's work much better than Bud, especially on the piano. The smile on Bud's face on the cover of this album is symbolic of the way it will make you feel. He injects the same energy into Bird's pieces as Bird himself. The swingin' tunes are so deftly produced from Bud's hands that you wonder if Charlie is standing over him directing his every thought. Bird and Bud fans alike will love this, as well as any jazz lover.