What d’you mean, Bud Powell’s talent was in eclipse by the late ’50’s? You’re pulling my plonker
Ever since I first bought the record 50 years or so ago I’ve played and replayed Jazz at Massey Hall with the Quintet of the Year.
It’s the sublime last great recording by Charlie Parker with Gillespie, Roach, Mingus and Bud Powell. With Parker and Gillespie so good, I didn’t really listen carefully enough to Bud Powell.
All I really knew about him was that thanks to the gentle attentions of sundry police forces and mental institutions he was not entirely with us a lot of the time. Also he liked a drink or three.
Today quite by chance I started listening to some recordings he made in Europe between ’59 and ’62 when he was past his best according to Wikipedia. They are at http://www.jazzonthetube.com/videos/bud-powell/gigging-in-europe-1959-and-1962.html.
Just under 45 minutes of pure genius. As nimble as Peterson but more interesting; like a cross between Art Tatum and Thelonius Monk.
If he was past his best I’m Louis Armstrong – whom I also saw when he was past his best, and pretty damn marvellous too.
This all reminded of one of my great regrets. I could have seen Billie Holiday, but didn’t go because the critics said she was past her best. Hooey.
Who said the relationship between the critic and the artist is like that between the dog and the lamp-post?
Yes, I know wikipedia is written by us, but – just saying.
Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday are 2 of my all time favorite singers and never had a bad performance. Ask for Sashmo, even the better horn players fall short of him even when he was supposed to be passed his best