Bud Powell

The biography of Bud Powell by Claude Carrière and Christian Bonnet , illustrated by Louis Joos and accompanied by 2 compact discs.

We will understand that Bud Powell gave the best of his art during the first years of his career as a soloist. The years 1947-53, covered by the two CDs you have in your hands, constitute the peak of his genius, that of the greatest bebop pianist . His style, parallel to that of Charlie Parker on the saxophone , developed rhythmic impetuosity and melodic abundance to their extreme limits. Bud created, without respite and without repetition, sentences of breathtaking richness and beauty.

He was inspired in his early days by Billy Kyle , Art Tatum and his friend Thelonious Monk . In turn, he left his profound influence on the vast majority of pianists who came after him. Let us cite, among the most famous of them, Horace Silver , Oscar Peterson , Bill Evans , McCoy Tyner , Hank Jones , Tommy Flanagan ...

Finally, let us point out his great talent as a composer: seventeen of the forty themes presented here are from his pen, they are all worth the detour, especially since they are interpreted by their author.