Speaking the Language of Desire: The Films of Carl Dreyer (Cambridge Studies in Film)

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Bud Powell created the foundation of the modern piano style. His incomparable talent as a composer is often overlooked. This volume offers 20 piano arrangements, startling in their originality and expressiveness.

The Glass Enclosure: The Life of Bud Powell (Bayou Jazz Lives)

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Interesting but Incomplete
Essential Reading For all Bud Powell Fans

The Glass Enclosure: The Life of Bud Powell (Bayou Jazz Lives)
Alan Groves , and Alyn Shipton
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0826447465

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Interesting but Incomplete.......2007-04-13

The Glass Enclosure offers a brief biographical sketch of Bud Powell as it traces the artistic triumphs of his early career that turned to tragedy as mental illness, alcoholism, and mistreatment by his handlers all diminished his musical gifts. The book balances some of the claims made by Francis Paudras in Dance of the Infidels and fills in some of the details of Powell's pre-Paris years that Paudras omits. Still, The Glass Enclosure reads like an extended encyclopedia entry and provides little information beyond that found in other histories of the era or biographies of the principal players. The definitive Bud Powell biography is probably still to be written.

The most useful part of the book is the discography. This is presented first as a critical analysis and then as a detailed chronology of Powell's recordings. Together, these two chapters provide a brief but comprehensive survey of Powell's career and are useful to anyone building a collection of his important recordings. The book also pulls together a number of photos of both Powell and the musicians who influenced him; unfortunately, many of these are so dark as printed in the book, that many details are hard to make out.

Essential Reading For all Bud Powell Fans.......2001-11-19

This short work should be read in conjunction or shortly after reading "Dance of the Infidels : A Portrait of Bud Powell -- by Francis Paudras". "The Glass Enclosure" frequently refers to Francis Paudras, as any biography of Bud Powell must. It contains many pictures of Bud that help to understand him better, including several pictures of his common law wife "Buttercup". The book assumes the reader is familiar with the general history of bebop and figures such as Miles Davis, Diz, Monk, Mingus, Clifford Brown, etc. It was originally published in 1993, so this is a reprint. The book can be read in a couple of days. The research done for the book is good in terms of people who were interviewed. Bud was a genius but a very troubled on. This books explains, sometimes to the point of being painful to read, the details of Bud's mental troubles. It leaves one feeling sad but full of wonder at Bud's extraordinary musical powers and the recorded legacy he leaves for current and future generations. These two books are probably the sum total of all that will ever be known about Bud Powell. Combined with his recordings, especially from the period 1947 to 1953, it is hopefully enough to satisfy the generations as yet unborn who will certainly revere Bud as a great master.

Bouncing With Bud: All the Recordings of Bud Powell

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Good general overview from a collector's view
Discography - the new way

Bouncing With Bud: All the Recordings of Bud Powell
Carl Smith
Manufacturer: Biddle Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Cornell 1964

ASIN: 1879418274

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Good general overview from a collector's view.......2001-08-03

Smith provides a good overview of the Powell recordings for collectors. All the recordings are listed chronologically, with Smith giving general observations about each performance. Some amusing photos of cover art will interest collectors also. Smith obviously knows his stuff, and he provides information on some very rare Powell recordings. He is a serious fan and not a music critic. He does NOT, for instance, go into much track by track detail, and does not provide serious students of Bud Powell anything more than they could get off of liner notes. The most intriguing aspect of this book is Smith's contrarian take on Powell's later works: he believes that they are overlooked. Smith supplements his own material with some very good exerpts from a couple of other sources, including an essay by Francis Paudras, pieces from Atlantic Monthly, etc.

Discography - the new way.......1998-09-22

It has been my pleasure to read Carls Smith's book on Bud Powell's recordings. This is not a discography though it contains a lot of discographical facts. Mr. Smith has collected all published recordings of Bud Powell and written about them in a very easy to read, handy book. This is not a musician's analysis but the listener's view of Bud's work. Mr. Smith does not share the common opinion that most of Bud's recordings after 1953 were bad. I agree with him. A lot of what Bud did after 1953 is well woth listening to and this book is the perfect companion. Whether you share the author's fascination with Bud or just are interested, this book is well worth reading and is of course a must for the avid Bud fan.

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Great piano transcriptions. I need more!

Bud Powell Classics
Bud Powell
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0793573203

Product Description

Includes transcriptions of 9 solos by this jazz piano giant: Autumn in New York Body and Soul Celia Cherokee (Indian Love Song) Dance of the Infidels Hallucinations A Night in Tunisia Ruby, My Dear Tune for Duke.

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Great piano transcriptions. I need more!.......2007-07-21

"The Bud Powell Collection" has 9 very accurate transcriptions of classic Bud Powell recordings. I also purchased 9 more in the companion volume "Bud Powell Classics" and would love to find more. I may never have the technique to play most of these, especially not at the noted tempo, but enjoy reading along while I play the original recordings.

I'm glad that each book includes at least one transcription of a later (post-1953) recording when Bud's playing slowed down and became darker: "Danceland", "Tune for Duke", and the amazing reharmonization of Monk's "Ruby My Dear". I can now play these almost as written. I wish the publisher had combined both volumes into one and could convince Gene Rizzo, the transcriber, to transcribe a few more romps (like "Just One of Those Things" and "Buster Rides Again") or tackle some more late-period Powell and my two favorite Bud Powell compositions: "Time Waits" and "I'll Keep Loving You".

Dance of the Infidels: A Portrait of Bud Powell

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Compelling but biased
Francis Paudras-The Amazing Best Friend of the Amazing Bud Powell
an extraordinary friendship
A remarkable story of compassion
A Portrait of a Man

Dance of the Infidels: A Portrait of Bud Powell
Francis Paudras
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0306808161

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Compelling but biased.......2007-04-05

Heartfelt and sincere, Dance of the Infidels is Francis Paudras' affectionate tribute to Bud Powell, the modern jazz icon who spent much of his final years in Paris. Paudras traces his relationship with Powell, which began with his adolescent infatuation and idolization of Powell and his genius. Most of the book deals with Powell's time in Paris during which Paudras befriended Powell and actually took him into his home and provided a family for his idol.

Dance is most compelling when Paudras recounts anecdotes from their time together. He dwells at length on Powell's childlike qualities, his need for constant care. Though he takes considerable pains to diagnose Powell and to correct what he sees as misunderstandings of Powell's mental condition, Paudras is mostly content to let Powell's actions speak for themselves. The book is indeed a testament to the power of one person to nurture another through an untiring devotion to not only a fellow human being but also to music and the passions it awakens.

Unfortunately, what makes the book such a rewarding read also highlights some of its weaknesses. Paudras practically deifies Powell. Paudras is quick to soften the harshness of Powell's detractors by portraying them as insensitive to his genius--especially when they are part of the American critical establishment. Paudras feels that only he and "the devoted little band of French fans" are truly able to appreciate Powell's gifts. As a result, Paudras seems content to describe Powell's playing with superlatives and hyperbole rather than apply the critical skills and vocabulary of even the amateur musician that Paudras claims to be.

Nonetheless, this book remains necessary reading for all jazz fans, or even music lovers in general who have sensed the sublime powers of music. Balanced with a more straightforward bio, Dance is a necessary part in building an understanding of the complex figure of Bud Powell.

Francis Paudras-The Amazing Best Friend of the Amazing Bud Powell.......2005-11-04

The relationship between jazz piano genius Bud Powell and maybe
anybody's best friend-of all time-is really only marginally portrayed in the 1986 Oscar-nominated movie,'Round Midnight'-one of my handful of all-time favorites.The film was dedicated to
Lester Young and Bud Powell-and the great saxophonist Dexter Gordon portrayed the burnt out musician Dale Turner.The film is
based on 'Dance of the Infidels' by Francis Paudras about his incredible relationship with Powell-one of the handful of defining jazz pianists,ever-and even among jazz musicians,nobody
ever had a more troubled life;Powell died at 42 in 1966 and there is no question that he'd have died sooner if not for Paudras's efforts.At 62,Paudras committed suicide in France in 1997.It's not easy to find a sadder book-and in terms of race relations-nobody tops Francis Paudras.R.I.P.

an extraordinary friendship.......2005-09-13

"Dance of the Infidels" is an account of jazz pianist Bud Powell ( 1924-66 ) written by his friend and onetime caretaker Francis Paudras. There are a number of reasons why it makes fascinating reading ( virtually mandatory for hardcore jazz fans ); prospective readers should, however, be aware the book focuses more on Powell's personality than it spends time detailing his groundbreaking role as bebop pioneer. Then again, given the notorious and shadowy caricature with which Powell *the legend* has been saddled ( helping to perpetuate his stigmatization, even posthumously ), the focus on Powell *the person* can only be counted a blessing. Above all, this reviewer was struck by their extraordinary friendship, all the more impressive considering the trying circumstances in which they often found themselves.

Paudras makes no attempt to render events in a self-consciously hip tone nor does he attempt to analyze Powell's music in theoretical terms. If occasionally he waxes effusive, he is far from slavishly uncritical or wedded to one particular party line concerning Powell's problems. For instance, while it is well known that the pianist suffered from a brutal beating he received ( from a policeman ) in 1945, which led to physical and mental breakdowns, Paudras also relates the strained relationship Powell had with an emotionally distant father, his marital/relationship strife, the barbaric treatment at the hands of doctors and various medical "professionals" ( administering shock treatments and dangerous drugs ) and from the very beginning of his career, the whole unsavory underworld ( gangsters, club owners and mercenary agents ) atmosphere in which he plied his trade. Trials and tribulations of this nature challenged the hardiest of men; for Bud Powell, unusually sensitive, they turned out to be nothing less than catastrophic. Powell, apart from playing music ( or getting drunk ), seemed to live most fully in the retreat of his mind, a remote and often haunted place. It was therefore no small measure of mercy that Paudras entered his life, first as a fan and later as friend ( "brother", as Powell himself referred to him towards the end ), allowing the older man to reveal himself ( in tones of poignant solemnity or raucous humor ) as he had to few others.

Another virtue: the author, no neophyte, is a diehard jazz fan who knows the music and its history quite well. His inside perspective, after years of living with Powell ( 1959-64), gives evidence of a certain smiling ( but never smug ) awareness of various myths and peculiarities propagated in the jazz subculture. From a purely musical point of view, he is quite convincing in defending Bud Powell from the received wisdom many critics regurgitate to this day; lionizing his output from 1947-53 while denigrating his later work. While the recordings from 47-53 do indeed remain the gold standard, listeners should, in evaluating his later output, rely on the only evidence that really counts, *recordings*; and in using them as criteria, Powell is often found in great form ( e.g., "Live at Lausanne", "Bouncin' with Bud', etc ). Furthermore, in asking for "consistency", critics overlook the fact that Powell, as much as any musician in jazz history, took risks. In the circumstances he found himself, Powell's digital equipment may have been less than reliable but the integrity of his expression ( ultimately what matters most in music ) never dimmed. Indeed, *no* musician played with more intensity than Bud Powell.

In the future, writers will focus more extensively on Bud Powell's music; fittingly so, for such a pioneering musician. But as far as Bud Powell *the person* is concerned, it is unlikely we will ever find an account more sympathetic or revealing than that rendered by his ( now deceased ) "brother", Francis Paudras.

A remarkable story of compassion.......2004-04-08

Francis Paudras was an aspiring jazz pianist who idolized and steeped himself in the music of Bud Powell. Rather suddenly he found himself in the position of caretaker and personal friend of his musical idol. Powell's circumstances were tragically sad. Barely competent to care for himself at this point in his life he was being verbally and certainly financially abused by a horror of a woman named Buttercup. Largely abandoned by his American friends Powell was living in deplorable conditions when Paudras and he became acquainted. Paudras' devotion to his new friend is a remarkable example of human compassion and love toward another human being. Through his efforts Bud Powell was able to experience some joy in his final years although the shadow of his tragic past was always close at hand. Powell's musical accomplishments are legendary and Paudras' writes with passion and understanding of the depth of Powell's talents and of his incredibly far-reaching influence on so many jazz musicians.
This book combines a warm human interest story, albeit with tragic elements, with an examination fo Powell's musical career that results in one of the finest jazz profiles ever published. Highly recommended to anyone remotely interested in jazz. For fans of Powell it is indispensible reading.

A Portrait of a Man.......2002-08-09

Obviously any serious Bud fan will have to read this, being one of only a handful of books devoted to the genius. That being said I ended getting much more out of the read besides examining a period in a musician's life. Even if this book were not about one of my favorite musicians I still would recommend it highly and would call it one of the more interesting reads I have had. (I read it about 6 months ago.)
This book also becomes, inadvertently I believe, a study into human personality. Bud had numerous mental problems, many of which were pigeonholed as manic-depressive or schizophrenic. But the author's fly on the wall psychology savant observations (many obviously from journal entries) show that these diagnoses are simple and barely scratch the surface of the behavior of Bud Powell.
I think about this book often particularly when I am considering what makes a person a person. Before I read this book I thought I had an idea, but after reading it I am not so sure. It also led me to read more direct analyses of personality by Lucan and Piaget.
Bud begins the book in horrible shape, mental & physical, completely reliant on someone who cares nothing for his well being. He is unkempt and rarely speaks. You wonder how he could have reached the age he has with so few of the skills which are required for human survival.
When the author begins to interact with Bud it is almost always wordless, with the author describing Bud's input with non-verbal actions. How "looking into his eyes I could tell how Bud felt."
I was very skeptical believing perhaps the author's worship of Bud were clouding his judgment about Bud. Maybe the author wanted to communicate with Bud so bad he was sub-consciencely creating Bud's side of the conversation.
This hero worship by the author made certain that there was a bias to anything in the book, but a careful reader can still infer what actually took place.(It is nowhere near as revisionist as Miles Davis' autobiography.) And after reading the book I honestly believe that Mr. Paudras would never intentionally lie about anything to do with Bud Powell
As the action of the book proceeds you realize there must be something happening to Bud because of the healthy changes occurring and the gains Bud makes. Bud begins to perform again, gets healthier, and begins to take more control of his life. But major barriers still remain. Often he will only communicate with Francis. It went as far as when someone would ask Bud a question he would ignore it until Francis repeated the question to Bud and then Bud would only answer Francis. Also, Bud was greatly affected by even the smallest portion of alcohol, which would haunt him for the remainder of his life.
By the end of the book I was engrossed. There is even a heart-wrenching climax that was more affecting than most novels I have read. The denouement is too powerful to describe. (I am choosing my words carefully as not to give away anything)
There is a measurable action by Bud which makes me doubt the assessments that he was merely a child with a prodigal gift allowing him to never mature. Apparently, Bud would write poems to go along with most of his songs. Most have been lost. The poem by Bud included in the book is so lucent and shows a startling awareness that I was left contemplating why Bud behaved the way he did. Francis spent so much time with him it could not have been and act. Also, Bud hurt himself by acting this way that you have to believe he would have stopped if he could.
This book has helped make Bud's amazing art even more poignant for me. I believe every person has trouble relating to the world around him or her. To me, Bud music is about expressing these difficulties. Somehow trying to reconcile the sublime beauty of the world with the horrible darkness it also contains.
Although, my belief in heaven is dubious at best, if I could pick two people who deserve to be there it is Bud Powell & Francis Paudras.
My final comments are about the fate of the author who recently committed suicide. After getting to know a side of him through his book. (And I do believe the seeds of his demise are hinted at in the reading particularly in the last scenes.) It also opens up a whole slew of questions about when is life worth living, and is there any reward for those who love and bring goodness to the world when all they seem to receive is senseless pain.
As you can tell I have thought about this book considerably so if you have any insights you'd like to share please drop me a line at derek_weisel@hotmail.com. Thanks. DW.

The Bud Powell Collection: Piano Transcriptions (Artist Transcriptions)

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The Bud Powell Collection: Piano Transcriptions (Artist Transcriptions)
Bud Powell
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0793580471

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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.

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Bud Powell: (MFM 82) (Jazz Masters)
Clifford J. Safane
Manufacturer: Amsco Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Includes Celia, A Night In Tunisia, Hallucinations, Strictly Confidential, and Tempus Fugit.

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Bud Bright and the bank robbers,
A. Van Buren Powell
Manufacturer: The Penn publishing company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Bud Bright and the counterfeiters
A. Van Buren Powell
Manufacturer: Penn Pub. Co
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ASIN: B0008AYT4U

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Bud Bright and the drug ring,
A. Van Buren Powell
Manufacturer: The Penn publishing company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Basic Rug Hooking: Everything You Need to Begin Hooking Rugs Paperback
Hooking Rug Magazine
Manufacturer: Stackpole Magazines
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1881982319

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