BUD POWELL - 1962 Copenhagen
SteepleChase SCCD 36040
Bud Powell (piano), Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass), Jorn Elniff (drums), Brew Moore, Don Byas (tenor saxophone - track 8)
Recorded Denmark Radio concert hall, Copenhagen March 25, 1962 (track 1-5)
Recorded at Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen March 1962 (track 6-8)
Recorded Denmark Radio TV studio August 1962 (track 9-11)
The tortured artist sometimes competes with the neglected artist. Bud Powell was both. In the nineteen forties he was noted for implementing Charlie Parker’s musical innovations on jazz piano playing., Powell was also influenced by Monk and Tatum. One of the strange jazz facts is that Monk and Powell were very close in spite of the stylistic differences. Powell's intense, fluid style, largely linear, consisted of right-hand melodic improvisations over complicated and very novel left-hand harmonies.
In the late 1950s brought down by alcoholism, depression, mental illness, and public indifference, Powell moved to Europe where his skills were more appreciated. There are more than glimpses of the younger Bud. The intense attack on ‘Anthropology’, there are three versions, is vital and the creativity involved in developing the solo narrative is impressive, in spite of a very pedestrian rhythm section: Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen is on bass and Jørn Elniff on drums. NHOP was just 16 and John Elniff was solid and plodding. It is the playing of ‘Anthropology’ that is impressive and close to Powell at his best. It seems as if the challenge of the theme creates fresh ideas. On the final ‘Anthropology’ the pianist is joined by Brew Moore and Don Byas: the cool sound of Moore works well against the harsher sound of Byas.
The recording quality varies according to the venue. The Jazzhus venue sounds very claustrophobic. However, at all times, the playing of Powell is clear. Tracks 1 to 5 came from a concert at the Denmark Radio concert hall on March 25, 1962. Tracks 6 to 8 were recorded at Jazzhus Montmartre, also in March. The final three tracks (9 to 11) were recorded for TV in August 1962, with tenor saxophonists Brew Moore (9) and Don Byas on10 and the pair on 11.
At this stage of his playing life, Powell reduced his repertoire to the well-known. He was happy improvising on the war horses. His playing on ‘Straight No Chaser’ is not as idiosyncratic as Monk’s versions. Powell tends to straighten out the curlicues of the piece without adding too many of his own. There are two versions of ‘Round About Midnight’, They are equally dramatic and not really Monk like. There is reverence for the theme. As Powell improvises, the debt to Monk is obvious as is the love for the theme. An album like this can remind that jazz is a very human, warts and all, music, detailing unflinchingly, the triumphs, the deteriorations, the vicissitudes of a jazz life lived intensely.
The sleeve notes by Neil Tesser are very thorough and are suffused with concern and understanding of Powell at that stage of his life. Tesser cautions listeners to listen for what is there and not what is missing. Good advice.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
SteepleChase SCCD 36040
Bud Powell (piano), Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass), Jorn Elniff (drums), Brew Moore, Don Byas (tenor saxophone - track 8)
Recorded Denmark Radio concert hall, Copenhagen March 25, 1962 (track 1-5)
Recorded at Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen March 1962 (track 6-8)
Recorded Denmark Radio TV studio August 1962 (track 9-11)
The tortured artist sometimes competes with the neglected artist. Bud Powell was both. In the nineteen forties he was noted for implementing Charlie Parker’s musical innovations on jazz piano playing., Powell was also influenced by Monk and Tatum. One of the strange jazz facts is that Monk and Powell were very close in spite of the stylistic differences. Powell's intense, fluid style, largely linear, consisted of right-hand melodic improvisations over complicated and very novel left-hand harmonies.
In the late 1950s brought down by alcoholism, depression, mental illness, and public indifference, Powell moved to Europe where his skills were more appreciated. There are more than glimpses of the younger Bud. The intense attack on ‘Anthropology’, there are three versions, is vital and the creativity involved in developing the solo narrative is impressive, in spite of a very pedestrian rhythm section: Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen is on bass and Jørn Elniff on drums. NHOP was just 16 and John Elniff was solid and plodding. It is the playing of ‘Anthropology’ that is impressive and close to Powell at his best. It seems as if the challenge of the theme creates fresh ideas. On the final ‘Anthropology’ the pianist is joined by Brew Moore and Don Byas: the cool sound of Moore works well against the harsher sound of Byas.
The recording quality varies according to the venue. The Jazzhus venue sounds very claustrophobic. However, at all times, the playing of Powell is clear. Tracks 1 to 5 came from a concert at the Denmark Radio concert hall on March 25, 1962. Tracks 6 to 8 were recorded at Jazzhus Montmartre, also in March. The final three tracks (9 to 11) were recorded for TV in August 1962, with tenor saxophonists Brew Moore (9) and Don Byas on10 and the pair on 11.
At this stage of his playing life, Powell reduced his repertoire to the well-known. He was happy improvising on the war horses. His playing on ‘Straight No Chaser’ is not as idiosyncratic as Monk’s versions. Powell tends to straighten out the curlicues of the piece without adding too many of his own. There are two versions of ‘Round About Midnight’, They are equally dramatic and not really Monk like. There is reverence for the theme. As Powell improvises, the debt to Monk is obvious as is the love for the theme. An album like this can remind that jazz is a very human, warts and all, music, detailing unflinchingly, the triumphs, the deteriorations, the vicissitudes of a jazz life lived intensely.
The sleeve notes by Neil Tesser are very thorough and are suffused with concern and understanding of Powell at that stage of his life. Tesser cautions listeners to listen for what is there and not what is missing. Good advice.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
