No one could play like Bud; too difficult, too quick, incredible!–Thelonious Monk
Bud is a genius.–Charlie Parker
Bud is a genuine genius.–Duke Ellington
He laid down the basis of modern jazz piano.–Dizzy Gillespie
Bud was the most brilliant that a spirit might be, a unique genius in our culture.–Max Roach
He was the foundation out of which stemmed the whole edifice of modern jazz piano; every jazz pianist since Bud either came through him or is deliberately attempting to get away from playing like him.–Herbie Hancock
If I had to choose a single musician according to his artistic merit and the originality of his creation, but also for the greatness of his work, it would be Bud Powell. Nobody could measure up to him.–Bill Evans
…and you just know she loves Bud Powell.–Alan Broadbent to Gene Lees, on seeing a beautiful girl pass by.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
Monk was a man of few (then fewer and fewer) words.He said it all in three: In Walked Bud.
I’m wondering if there’s any information of the sculptor who made those great masks on the Montmarte walls. Is that club still intact as it was, or has it been renovated?
(I have no idea about the sculptor. Let’s hope that Rifftides readers will know. The Montmartre closed in 1993. Another club under that name operated for a time as a disco. — DR)
There is an extensive history of the Jazzhus in PDF on its three locations on the ‘net. It makes a reference about those masks being created by an artists group known as M59, but just enigmatically drops it there. One of the incarnations of the Jazzhus was an office-building after the club closed that pretty well guarantees that the masks were removed. They appear to be only a fragile plaster of paris type material that wouldn’t have been planned for much of a life-span. I think that Powell vid was c1962, and I recall the masks are seen in that 1969 Dexter Gordon video, so that’s at least seven years they were around. There are some fleeting references to M59 on Google, but nothing to get a hand-hold.
Dave Schildkraut (while listening to a live broadcast performance of Powell playing ‘Round Midnight, with Bird):
“listen to Bud – Bird was great but he could only play one note at a time – but Bud – Bud had ten fingers…
Through a series of e-mails, culminating with one to the ‘re-creation’ version of Montmartre Club in Copenhagen, I found the info I was seeking. One of the owners of Jazzhus had extensive detail on Montmartre. The mask-wall is mainly the work of Mogen Gylling who is still living on northcoast. I doubt that I’ll be able to find a folio that includes his work, but since he’s still living, probably something posted on the ‘Net.
I love seeing that wall in the vids. It really reflects the expectant mood of an audience waiting for great music. It’s not only a piece of Copenhagen history, but I’m sure is appreciated by other jazz enthusiasts as myself who’ve noticed it in the vids. I sure hope it’s been saved in a museum.