Talk:Bud Powell

References

• Kenny Mathieson, "Giant Steps", ISBN 0-86241-859-3
• Booklet from "Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings" box.
• "Complete Bud Powell on Verve" - various articles in book.
• Booklet from "Tempus Fugue-It" box.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Andrew Norman (talk • contribs) 08:43, 28 June 2005 (UTC)

Bud Powell

I know that there is a song called Bud Powell, which is composed by Chick Corea and performed by Chick Corea and Gary Burton in Zurich on October 28, 1979. However, I can't find the article about that song, which makes me think that something's missing. NHRHS2010 talk 19:51, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Impartiality?

There is a lot of dispute about how much Bud Powell's 1945 beating affected his behavior; some friends claimed that he was just as difficult before, though it didn't help matters. And it seems unwise to state that "Buttercup didn't have Bud's best interests at heart;" while her dosing of Bud Powell with psychotropic medications is attested to in various accounts, she does have living relatives and she did not leave an account as to her intentions. So I would say that this statement is less than impartial, though overall it's a good piece. Pinikadia--Pinikadia (talk) 05:22, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

More Impartiality

Referring to the beating by the Philadelphia Police to be as a result of disorderly conduct is assumptive. That he was beaten is undeniable; that his actual crime was being a young black man dressed in fine clothes with money in his pocket may also be assumptive, but is equally plausible. This citation needs to be stripped of bias. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.149.63.100 (talk) 16:12, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Jazz Life 2673211 Germany 1988

Side A recorded at Grughalle, Essen, 1960 (Essen Jazz Festtival). But Side B recorded in Acousti Studio 1964 31 July with Michael Gaudry (bass) and Arthur Taylor (drums) - was this also released elsewhere? Tracks are: In the mood for a classic, John's abbey, Una noche con Francis, Relaxin' at Camarillo, My old flame, Moose the mooche. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 11:42, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Image

A Google Image search for "Bud Powell" yields 337,000 hits. Surely in that total there might be at least one single image there that might legally be used here? Martinevans123 (talk) 20:54, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

RE: technical musical comments

When it is said that Powell was innovative with the "harmonic series" or harmonic partials, maybe it should say he was playing "outside" the harmony? That might be a better description, if the comment should not simply be deleted. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.175.151.48 (talk) 00:35, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

External links modified

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Discography

I think there should be a seperate page for Bud's discography. It should I think reflect that of Art Tatum because of the sheer amount of work he's produced. Adamilo (talk) 03:46, 7 July 2019 (UTC)

Helpful webpage

http://www.wailthelifeofbudpowell.com/powell-chronology/ is a great source for anyone interested in learning more about Bud or editing this article Adamilo (talk) 23:30, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

This is a great source for some obscure periods of his life but I would be careful with this one. It is quite subjective, and the language it uses isn't always entirely clear. For example, it says that "Blakey walked off the date" of a 1955 session, completely leaving out that Kenny Clarke took his place the next day (https://www.jazzdisco.org/bud-powell/discography/). While I have used this source when it checks with other sources or no information is available, its subjectivity does need to be noted. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 14:38, 26 November 2023 (UTC)

As someone mentions below, the book appears to be self-published, which is a problem. See WP:SELFPUBLISH. Is there evidence that the possible exception to the principle of not using such sources applies? "Self-published expert sources may be considered reliable when produced by an established subject-matter expert, whose work in the relevant field has previously been published by reliable, independent publications". It's now used in about 20 places, so we need to sort this out before using it for more things, User:SelfieCity. EddieHugh (talk) 18:39, 27 November 2023 (UTC)

I understand these concerns. The problem is that many parts of Powell's life aren't well documented anywhere else. It's clear that Pullman has gone to great effort to gather obscure details of the pianist's life and that these are on the whole accurate. My concern is more with Pullman's bias than the factuality of the source. I'd also note that his book was covered by a number of sources including [1][2][3]. Removing information attributed to this source would necessitate removal of important parts of the article. It would be hard to construct an article that flowed without major gaps if his source were to be left out.

I'd note that the biographer below is the author of the book. I did not write the book and know no-one involved in its authorship. I haven't even read it, so my information is solely based on the online timeline he posted on that website. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 19:13, 27 November 2023 (UTC)

What I can do, however, is search for other sources in the sections of the article where Wail is cited and add those sources to the article. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 19:14, 27 November 2023 (UTC)

I've done this. Most of the instances of this source being used are now supported by a secondary source. However, there are circumstances where that source goes into more detail than other sources I have. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 14:58, 2 December 2023 (UTC)

In those cases, I've now removed the self-published source. In all other cases, I've added a tag. Without such tags (and maybe even with them), the information will eventually be repeated by reliable sources, even though it's based on an unreliable source, and then it'll look like the information is reliable... EddieHugh (talk) 21:34, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

Cool, thanks for the help! I'll keep searching for better sources. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 16:37, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

COI

Editor Powell biographer, who has edited this article, has told us at WP:Help desk#how to link to a book from a footnote (that link will need to be updated in a few days when the entry gets archived) that he is the author of the biography of Powell cited in the article. I've no doubt that Powell Biographer has put a lot of work into his book and into this article: his book may be a very fine piece of work, but citing one's own work is generally reckoned a COI, and also I have just removed a blatantly promotional sentence about the book from the article. More seriously, the book appears to be self-published, which generally makes it an unreliable source for Wikipedia, and makes Powell biographer's contributions original research as far as Wikipedia is concerned. I have no knowledge of the subject, and have no wish to go wading into editing this article. But perhaps somebody with some knowledge about it can find other sources for the information cited to Wail - maybe working with Powell biographer to cite the sources cited in the book. --ColinFine (talk) 21:36, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

Hello, ColinFine:

I hope to resolve the matter before us to your satisfaction. That is, I would like to have the banner that now appears at the top of the Bud Powell page removed. (I continue to have trouble understanding how to move about Wikipedia's user pages; I'm not confident, e.g., that these words will be seen by you or by anyone else who chooses to get involved in the matter.)

I submit one contribution to this discussion, coming as it does from someone whom I don't know. I read it as I clicked from page to page, hoping to learn how to get the banner removed:

http://www.wailthelifeofbudpowell.com/powell-chronology/ is a great source for anyone interested in learning more about Bud or editing this article Adamilo (talk) 23:30, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

Elsewhere I saw a reference to The Complete Bud Powell on Verve, a five-CD set.

That chronology, which is the source for many of the facts on the Powell page - as well as that CD set - is entirely my work. (The latter was cited by NARAS with a nomination for Best Liner Notes of 1994.) I constructed the chronology over the fifteen years that I spent in researching my book. Its findings have been accepted by the author of the University of Pennsylvania Press-issued Powell biography, by all authors of magazine articles, by all scholars in the field, and by Tom Lord, whose discography is the standard for jazz discography online.Powell biographer (talk) 10:44, 17 April 2021 (UTC)

Per above, your book is self-published, so for the long term record — as it doesn't seem like your account is currently active — if we can find any other sources of information for citations that currently go to Wail, we should cite those sources instead. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 16:38, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Bud Powell/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Esculenta (talk · contribs) 15:12, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

Hello, I'll review this article. Will have comments here within a few days. Esculenta (talk) 15:12, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

Thank you! --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 19:45, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

Ok, here are some thoughts after a read-through. I think the article is generally quite well-written and researched, and most of what follows are minor nitpicks, suggestions, and calls for clarification. I'll be back later to assess other aspects of the GA criteria. Esculenta (talk) 17:57, 26 February 2024 (UTC)

• " … jazz critics have commented that his compositions and playing style "greatly extended the range of jazz harmony," not a fan of this construction. First, I doubt that critics (i.e. more than one) said that quote. Second the quote is unattributed. Third, I don't see what's so special about the string of seven words that couldn't just be written with different phrasing. Fourth, there's a MOS:LQ issue.
• link stride, ragtime, tuberculosis (on first mention)
• is the Uptown House referred to in "Career" this one?
• "Powell was engaged in a series of dance bands" construction sounds a little odd … the meaning of "engaged in" is ambiguous. Could/should "dance band" be linked to big band?
• there's two spots in subsection 1943–1945 where Powell is described as doing something with the "trumpeter's band", but I think it needs to be explicitly mentioned that Cootie Williams was the trumpeter (they might not remember from the mention in the lead)
• "with alcoholics, drug addicts, and chronic mental health cases." not sure its PC to call people with mental health issues "chronic mental health cases".
• link sight-reading, cabaret card, maybe link "studio session" to recording studio?, jam session
• "recorded the first half of his Roost album" we don't learn what "Roost" is until three paragraphs later, so this is a bit cryptic here
• "In November 1947, he had an altercation" subject of "he" is unclear (Eager was the previous person discussed)
• link masters, 78 rpm records, Carnegie Hall, Cherokee, Anthropology, Parisian Thoroughfare, Un Poco Loco
• why are the instruments of Tommy Potter and Roy Haynes not mentioned, in contrast to the two band members listed before them?
• entire article needs a MOS:LQ audit; e.g. "Cherokee," "Get Happy," and "All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm."
• " was noted for "brilliant...all-star" missing word "its"?
• links: marijuana, heroin, sterile, asylum, groupies, epilepsy
• electroshock therapy was previously referred to and linked as electroconvulsive therapy, so it might be prudent to maintain the same wording throughout
• "but saw his health and piano playing affected by Largactil," suggest "the antipsychotic medication Largactil" for more context
• "a composition which critics have suggested" which->that
• "and was marketed as "the greatest jazz concert ever."" an attributory citation should be given after a quote.
• "While the concert is best-known for …" hyphenation not needed
• "Powell's rivalry with Charlie Parker" This rivalry sort of comes from no-where; I had the impression from the previous text that they were colleagues who occasionally played together. Any more details that might flesh out the nature of this rivalry?
• "the owners of Birdland continued to have complete control over Powell's performance schedule and may have provided him with his common-law wife, Altevia "Buttercup" Edwards." Provided him with a wife?? Details?
• link liner notes, Art Tatum
• "In June 1956, Powell's younger brother Richie and trumpeter Clifford Brown were killed in a car crash.[66] Despite this setback, Powell was recognized as competent by the New York authorities following legal efforts…" I'm confused as to how the two events are related… was older Powell in the car as well? Why did New York authorities have to assess his competency? What are the "legal efforts" about?
• "and he was able to record for Granz once again in September," who is Granz? Not discussed before or after.
• link psychotherapy; Art Taylor should be linked on first mention, "Time Waits", Jazz Messengers, Bouncing with Bud, CD, tranquilizer, recital
• "SteepleChase Records obtained a five-volume CD of the pianist's trio from a two-night April engagement at the Golden Circle, a nightclub in Stockholm.[88]" and… ? Verb "obtained" and no followup leaves me confused.
• "Powell completed further recording dates, including two with Paudras on brushes," what does this mean? Drum brush? Wasn't Paudras a pianist?
• "Morganstern" typo
• the role that Frances Barnes played in his life seems underdeveloped. She's first mentioned in subsection "1945–1948", but without saying who she is. It's not until her third and final mention in the article that we learn she was a girlfriend. His spouse Audrey Hill (according to the infobox) is not mentioned in the article at all.
• " extremely moving ... Powell hasn't lost is his marvelous" seems to be an extra (or missing) word somewhere
• it's amazing that the then three-year-old Benny Green played at his funeral!
• link Bill Cunliffe, arpeggio
• "Christopher Finch, who heard him play with a young French bassist late 1962, noted that he struggled to play even basic melodies with which the bassist was unfamiliar, but when Powell asked the bassist to pick a tune he knew, his technique immediately recovered." Why would Powell struggle with melodies that the bassist doesn't know?; wouldn't Powell struggle with melodies with which Powell is unfamiliar?
• link voicing, extended chord
• Tom Piazza's noting that Powell was a "lifelong Bach devotee" leads me to wonder why Bach has not been mentioned before in the article as a possible influence or favorite of Powell's
• Andre Previn -> André Previn
• Down Beat magazine -> DownBeat

@Esculenta: Hello. I am extremely grateful for this response. There are many great points here I missed and almost all of these are easily fixable. I'm going to try to go through the more complicated ones one by one to address them and will fix them accordingly.

• The quote regarding "jazz harmony" is something that perhaps could be removed entirely if it lacks support.
• Yes, Monroe's Uptown House is the correct one. I will add a link and the full name for clarity.
• This is referring to the word "engagement," which in jazz is sometimes used to refer to a "long-running engagement" at a jazz club that books the same musicians for several days or weeks in a row. I could change to "member of".
• Will mention Cootie Williams again for clarity.
• I believe "chronic mental health cases" is a quote or paraphrase from the original source, not a term I would have personally used, but we can change that if needed.
• Some points here are easy fixes with links/elaboration of unclear words
• Rivalry with Charlie Parker - this is a difficult one because the relationship between Powell and Parker is complicated. Although they played together frequently, sources indicate they were also rivals but don't really specify how this played out. The best example I could find was Jazz Masters of the Forties, in which Powell was alleged to have provoked Parker extensively in a quite vulgar altercation, but it's very hard to find reliable documentation for many of the stories surrounding this rivalry. Many are just mentioned as "rumors." I can do further research, though.
• So as for Altevia Edwards and the marriage situation: this is probably the most difficult part of the article. It's complicated as I couldn't find consistent information regarding how they met in the sources. What has to be understood is that following the beginning of Powell's guardianship, he became submissive and everything from finances to romantic partners were provided to him by his guardian. The reason Ms. Hill isn't mentioned in the article is that this marriage was arranged, but immediately fell apart and I can't even remember which source mentioned her and her later life. I can do further research on this as well.

Further, any testimony that is direct from Altevia Edwards can be considered unreliable, as much of it is directly contradicted by other reliable sources. On occasion, interviews with her made their way into magazines and local newspapers, and many of her comments in these are not reliable. There are several sources that go into why her testimony is unreliable, but the one that goes into the most detail is Dance of the Infidels.

• My aim with the setback was to put two ideas into a logical flow in the paragraph, which admittedly didn't work too well. What I was trying to say was, "despite the inevitable grieving that came from losing his brother, Bud had a string of successes after his brother's death," but I couldn't find much evidence for grieving in any sources. I believe the declaration of competency is related to being able to play in clubs per the cabaret card rules, but almost all of the public information on this part of Powell's life comes from Wail, a very detailed biography that is self-published by Peter Pullman and is therefore unusable.
• Sorry, Granz is Norman Granz. Thanks for catching stuff like this!
• SteepleChase obtained the records, I'm just not sure how. All I know is that they came in possession of them and released the album. Presumably they bought them off the club, but I have no documentation of this.
• Paudras played drum brushes on the record, probably on a phone book, to keep time for Powell as presumably no drum kit was available. Again, I don't have any reliable sources on how the record was made. Kenny Clarke also did this on a recording with Charlie Parker and Lennie Tristano much earlier. Most jazz musicians would probably be able to play a basic rhythm with brushes to keep time and wouldn't need to be a drummer so that information is definitely accurate.
• Dan Morganstern is/was, I think, a DownBeat writer. I don't think is a typo but I can check.
• Again, the sources are strange when it comes to Frances Barnes. I think he lost contact with her around 1948/1950 and only reunited with her when he returned to New York in 1964. However, Celia Powell did give an interview in a reliable source about some details of her childhood and Barnes was her mother, so I could add this to the article. As for why I didn't, I believe Celia is still alive, so I wanted to be careful regarding our policy on living persons.
• A different Benny Green, I think? I can check.
• One of Powell's peculiarities, only hinted at in the sources, is that his own technique fell apart when he was with bad musicians. To understand this, I would probably have to look at the Max Cohen guardianship files, which I have no idea how to access but which would explain Powell's personality better than anything else. But yes, this is not a typo - Powell struggled to play tunes he knew well because, I guess, the wrong notes from the bassist confused him.
• I can mention Bach in the 1950s section of the article, as Powell did a record titled "Bud on Bach" around 1955-1956 (Volume 3 of the Amazing Bud Powell) that could support his Bach influence more. Once again, it is hard to find evidence on Powell's influences, particularly outside jazz. Documentation of his early life is extremely sparse outside Wail.

Hopefully this summary helps! Once again, thank you for your critiques and I will get to work on a checklist of all these points! --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 20:12, 27 February 2024 (UTC)

I have since done further work and I think I've covered all the points mentioned above and even some I thought I might not be able to fix directly. Let me know if there are any further issues of concern that you can find within the article. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 19:05, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

I've reread the article (added a few links) and think all of my suggestions have been expertly addressed. All eight images used in the article have compliant licenses and are appropriately captioned and relevant to the article. The online sources I was able to check for text-source integrity did not reveal any issues. The sources used are reliable and appropriate for this work. (please include an ending page for FN#11 (Siek 2016), and it would probably be good to include isbns for all of the book references, but that's outside the GA criteria) Thanks for your efforts; promoting this article now. Esculenta (talk) 20:27, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

Thank you! I appreciate the significant time you've spent reviewing this article. I will check the isbns. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 21:00, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

"He let the demons in" video

Hello, I just wanted to note that a video on YouTube has used much of my wording, particularly regarding the asylum and the poem "Eternity". I don't have a problem with this, but given the video was published a week ago, I want to be clear that the video's creator used content from this article, not the other way around. --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 20:57, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

I think it's important to follow up here with an article published in The Spectator that straight up copies some parts of this Wikipedia article and then puts in them in contexts that make them inaccurate. Disagreements did not plague the 1964 Birdland shows; the author of that article, given the almost identical wording, mistook the reference in this article to the October 1964 recording session as a reference to the Birdland shows. Likewise the reference to the Tatum story takes details and fleshes them out with quotes I'm not aware of. I don't believe that article is a reliable source... --Comment by Selfie City (talk about my contributions) 03:48, 28 September 2024 (UTC)