Customer Reviews

Remembering Bud Powell

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Playing is genuinely inspired throughout. No one sounds half-hearted, not one note sounds contrived, and the songs are wonderfully different from each other. The album didn't immediately serve my ears, but met me halfway; leaving me 'educated', and better for having purchased it. It's true what they say about loving the albums you aren't initially fond of, because that was true with Remembering Bud Powell. It was above me, but I am growing to appreciate the maturity of the album. Except for Bud Powell (Corea's invention), all of the songs come from Powell's songbook. And yet despite their age, the arrangements sound youthful and new, due to the level of enthusiasm displayed by Corea and his friends. Even Roy Haynes' drumming sounds richly melodious; subtle changes in volume and rhythm indicate an involvement and ownership of the music which surpass usual expectations of a timekeeper. While listening to the album one becomes aware of the uniqueness of one particular musician, and that is Kenny Garrett. His playing is angular , extremely expressive, and always interesting. His playing on Mediocre is so intricate and unexpected that it must be dealt with-either by hating it or loving it. The unspoken connection made by this group of players is best exemplified during the transitions from solo to solo. I find that my favorite thing to look for in this album, besides the individual sounds of Garrett and Haynes, is the interaction between soloists, and the way each player expects and anticipates the other's thoughts. Haynes solos glide brilliantly, without anxiety, leaving one with the impression that he's able to think in the present as well as in the future, all at the same time. Haynes' playing is so distinct and complex that one would have a hard time air-drumming to his ride cymbals and snare drum strikes. They are not typical, but are unique to his own ear and musical shape. Willow Grove, Tempus Fugit, and others reveal how much space Haynes is able to appropriately fill up: what with one-handed rolls on the snare and with irregular ride cymbal patterns, he supports the music with a thick layer of accents and ideas. Without exaggeration, it is amazing. I look forward to listening to this album every day. This album is too deep to ever become irrelevant or boring.

Note that Amazon has two versions of this disk. The [lower priced] version is a standard stereo CD. The [higher priced] version, however, is encoded in DTS surround sound. The DTS version is will work only if your system includes a DTS decoder, and must be played on a DVD player; a standard CD player can't read it. On the other hand, if you have a DVD player and DTS decoder, you *must* get the DTS version; the difference it makes in the definition of individual instruments is dramatic! (DTS is a relatively new format intended mainly for home theater. It's similar to Dolby Digital, in that it provides six discrete channels of sound.)

This is a super tribute to Bud Powell. I wasn't a big Chick Corea fan but changed my mind. This is a great CD to add to any jazz lovers collection.

Without a doubt, demonstrated by his involvement with a number of Bud Powell projects over the years, Corea has been deeply involved with,and inspired by, Powell's music, down to the smallest nuances. Interestingly, Corea does not pay tribute with a "Powellesque" sound, but a very contemporary/free take on Powell classics that is often fresh, sometimes harsh, occasionally beautiful. Fascinating that Corea chose to record a quintet arrangement of the bizarre and disturbing "Mediocre", which Powell himself performed in 1955 (Verve). It is hard to tell if Powell was sick, or the song is ahead of its time. Nevertheless, Corea loves this tune. (He also chose "Mediocre" as one of Powell's best works, in his role as producer of a Powell anthology). The lasting impression, whether you like this Corea recording or not, is that Powell's music is timeless.

Long before I bought this disk, I was listening to a Bud Powell album and thinking, "Bud was 20 years ahead of his fellow be-bop style setters (i.e. Bird, Dizzy, Monk et al). To my ear, Bud was pretty much doing a tribute to Chick Corea probably 10 years before Chick started playing professionally!

About 40 years later, Chick is possessed by Bud's spirit and produces this album! This, to me, is evidence of re-incarnation, the time machine paradox, string theory or some Jungian collective Powell unconscious.

The best part is this: when Bud....I mean Chick plays in 1997, he's playing with a crew of people who have throughly processed be bop and all that followed. As such, Bud....I mean Chick is now playing with people who "get what he's about."

...and the music is still harmonically challenging in a way that allows you to listen to this disk over and over and hear fresh, great things each time. I think this album makes the case for Bud Powell as the greatest jazz pianist ever: what he did was write and play jazz in a way that is still fresh and inspiring 50+ years later!

But.....thank you Chick for making this crystal clear. And if you are the closest to channeling the spirit of the greatest, then you are up there as well.

This is the very best kind of a tribute album. Corea and a crackerjack group of accomplices have offered a beautiful homage to the late, great Bud Powell. What they do not attempt is a slavish recreation of Powell's bop-style. Instead, Corea and company make use of a handful of Powell's own compositions (as well as a couple of originals) but perform them in a decidedly post-bop manner: with considerable skill and boundless energy. Bud Powell must be smiling!

It's good to know that Chick Corea is recording more albums in the acoustic format, and I hope it stays that way. His solos are best heard on acoustic piano, and this Powell tribute attests to his gift for inventive improvisations. There is much energy on this recording, slowing down only on "I'll Keep Loving You" and picking up again on "Tempus Fugit", before Corea closes the album with a pretty good solo piano take on "Celia."

I find, though, that Corea's piano sounds rather bright and thin --- some will call it "crisp" -- compared to that on "The Mad Hatter" and "Three Quartets."

Overall, this is a very satisfying album.

This is one of my all time favorite Chick Corea CD's, along with The Time Warp. If you buy this CD expecting to hear Bud Powell clones, you will be disappointed. But if you're looking for hip new renditions of old classics, full of energy and enthusiasm, this one's for you. The musicians really interact well together. Joshua Redman's performance on this session is mind boggling. All of his solos organically evolve from concise motives, but take so many unpredictable turns that I get more out of them every time I listen. All of the musicians play with finesse, listen to each other well, and technique ceases to be a limitation. To me, this session has all of the energy of Giant Steps, without sounding like an exercise in technical virtuosity as an end in itself.

I respect much of this album. I think there are some very good moments. However, something of the essence of Bud Powell is missing. With Bud Powell, there was a focus. On this CD, I sense near misses. Corea records with what I consider to be a very thin piano sound and overbearing drums and I dont find myself reaching for this as much as I had thought I would. I find Corea at his best on his own material which he seems to bring together better.