Bud Powell's Moods Explained

Bud Powell's Moods
Type:	studio
Artist:	Bud Powell
Cover:	Bud Powell's Moods MGN 1064 (album cover).jpg
Released:	1956
Recorded:	June 2 & 4, 1954, January 12, 1955
Genre:	Jazz
Length:	38:14
Label:	Norgran
Producer:	Norman Granz
Prev Title:	The Amazing Bud Powell, Vols. 1 & 2
Prev Year:	1956
Next Title:	Piano Interpretations by Bud Powell
Next Year:	1956

Bud Powell's Moods is a studio album by jazz pianist Bud Powell, released in 1956 by Norgran,^[1] featuring sessions that Powell recorded in 1954 and 1955.

The album was re-issued by Verve,^[2] and released as a CD replica by Verve (Japan) in 2006 (POCJ-2740). The sessions (with alternate takes) are also available on CD on The Complete Bud Powell on Verve (1994) box set.

History

The sessions on this album mark the beginning of a two-year period (from June 1954 to September 1956) when Powell recorded exclusively for Norman Granz at Fine Sound Studios in New York.

The two Powell compositions, "Buttercup" and "Fantasy in Blue", are both up-tempo, in contrast to the generally mellow mood of the rest of the album.

According to pianist Barry Harris, Powell did not select many of the tunes for the session, and he was unfamiliar with some of them, particularly "I Get a Kick out of You," at the time of recording.^[3]

Track listing 12" LP (MGN 1064, MGV 8154)

All songs were written by Bud Powell, except where noted.

1. "Moonlight in Vermont" (Karl Suessdorf, John Blackburn) – 3:35
2. "Spring Is Here" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:27
3. "Buttercup" – 2:59
4. "Fantasy in Blue" – 3:04
5. "It Never Entered My Mind" (Rodgers, Hart) – 2:56
6. "A Foggy Day" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:45
7. "Time Was" (aka "Duerme" «Sleep») (Miguel Prado, Gabriel Luna, Bob Russell) – 4:17
8. "My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers, Hart) – 2:53
9. "I Get a Kick out of You" (Cole Porter) – 4:26
10. "You Go to My Head" (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 4:11
11. "The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)" (Irving Berlin) – 2:41

Personnel

Performance

• Bud Powell – piano

June 2, 1954, Fine Sound Studios, New York, side A tracks 1-4.

• George Duvivier^[4] – bass
• Art Taylor – drums

June 4, 1954, Fine Sound Studios, New York, side A tracks 5-6 and side B tracks 1-2.

• Percy Heath^[1] – bass
• Art Taylor – drums

January 12, 1955, Fine Sound Studios, New York, side B tracks 3-5.

• Lloyd Trotman – bass
• Art Blakey – drums

Production

• Norman Granz – producer
• David Stone Martin – cover design

Release history

The two June 1954 sessions were originally released on a 10" LP called The Artistry of Bud Powell on Norgran in 1954.^[5]

The Artistry of Bud Powell 10" LP (MGN 23)

1. "Moonlight in Vermont" (Suessdorf, Blackburn)
2. "Spring Is Here" (Rodgers, Hart)
3. "Buttercup"
4. "Fantasy in Blue"
5. "It Never Entered My Mind" (Rodgers, Hart)
6. "A Foggy Day" (Gershwin, Gershwin)
7. "Time Was" (Prado, Luna, Russell)
8. "My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers, Hart)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Togashi, Nobuaki . Matsubayashi, Kohji . Hatta, Masayuki . Bud Powell Discography (MGN 1064). . 2009-06-12 .
2. Web site: Togashi, Nobuaki . Matsubayashi, Kohji . Hatta, Masayuki . Bud Powell Discography (MGV 8154). . 2009-06-12 .
3. . Pullman . Peter . Harris . Barry . 1994 . 123 .
4. The Artistry of Bud Powell . Bud Powell's Moods . Bud Powell . 1954 . Norman . Granz . Liner Notes . . MGN 23 . USA. "This date was done in two sections and on one date we used George Duvivier on bass and on the other Percy Heath. The drummer on both dates was Art Taylor."
5. Web site: Togashi, Nobuaki . Matsubayashi, Kohji . Hatta, Masayuki . Bud Powell Discography (MGN 23). . 2009-06-12 .