The Amazing Bud Powell

Bud Powell was not only one of the greatest bebop pianists of all time, he stands as one of the twentieth century’s most dynamic and fiercely adventurous musical minds. His expansive musicianship, riveting performances, and inventive compositions expanded the bebop idiom and pushed jazz musicians of all stripes to higher standards of performance. Yet Powell remains one of American music’s most misunderstood figures, and the story of his exceptional talent is often overshadowed by his history of alcohol abuse, mental instability, and brutalization at the hands of white authorities. In this first extended study of the social significance of Powell’s place in the American musical landscape, Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. shows how the pianist expanded his own artistic horizons and moved his chosen idiom into new realms. Illuminating and multi-layered, The Amazing Bud Powell centralizes Powell’s contributions as it details the collision of two vibrant political economies: the discourses of art and the practice of blackness.

What Charlie Parker was to the saxophone, Bud Powell (1924-1966) was to the piano. But genius has its price, and Powell spent much of his life in electroshock therapy in psychiatric institutions. "Dance of the Infidels" tells Powell's compelling story. 191 photos.

(Artist Transcriptions). Known for his innovative technique and sheer intensity, Bud Powell was one of the finest bop pianists of the 1940s-60s. This folio features note-for-note transcriptions of his performances of nine tunes his own compositions and standards. Includes: April in Paris * Danceland * Get Happy * It Could Happen to You * Oblivion * Parisian Thoroughfare * So Sorry Please * Tempus Fugit * Un Poco Loco. Also contains a biography and discography.

(Fake Book). Features 44 signature songs from this jazz piano genius, all in the famous Real Book style! Includes: Audrey * Blue Pearl * Borderick * Bouncing with Bud * Bud on Bach * Burt Covers Bud * Buster Rides Again * Celia * Cleopatra's Dream * Comin' Up * Crossin' the Channel * Dance of the Infidels * Danceland * Down with It * Dry Soul * Duid Deed * Dusk in Saudi * Elogie * Fantasy in Blue * The Fruit * Get It * Gettin' There * Hallucinations * I'll Keep Loving You * In the Mood for a Classic * John's Abbey * Jump City * Keepin' in the Groove * Marmalade * Midway * Monopoly * Oblivion * Parisian Thoroughfare * Scene Changes * So Sorry Please * Strictly Confidential * Sub City * Tempus Fugit * Time Waits * Topsy Turvey * Un Poco Loco * Wail * Webb City * Willow Grove (Willow Groove).

The most highly acclaimed jazz piano method ever published! Over 300 pages with complete chapters on Intervals and triads, The major modes and II-V-I, 3-note voicings, Sus. and phrygian Chords, Adding notes to 3-note voicings, Tritone substitution, Left-hand voicings, Altering notes in left-hand Stride and Bud Powell voicings, Block chords, Comping ...and much more! Endorsed by Kenny Barron, Down Beat, Jamey Aebersold, etc.

From its very beginnings, the nature of jazz has been to reinvent itself. As the musical genre evolved from its roots—blues, European music, Voodoo ceremonies, and brass bands that played at funerals, parades and celebrations—the sound reflected the tenor of the times, from the citified strains of the Roaring ’20s to the Big Band swing of pre–World War II to the bop revolution that grew out of the minimalist sound the war forced upon the art form. That the music continued to develop and evolve is a tribute to the power and creativity of its musicians. Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Diana Krall, Archie Shepp, Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, Larry Coryell, and Kenny Kirkland are just some of the jazz greats profiled here. The five major periods of jazz—the bop revolution, hard bop and cool jazz, the avant-garde, fusion, and contemporary—form the basis for the sections in this reference work, with a brief history of each period provided. The artists who were integral to the evolution of each period are then profiled. Each biographical entry focuses on the artist’s life and his or her influence on jazz and on music as a whole. A complete discography for each musician is also provided.