" R E M E M B E R I N G B U D P O W E L L "
S T R E T C H R E C O R D S
chick Corea's latest album is modestly titled "Remembering Bud Powell," as
if he had recorded just another tribute to the man who helped develop bebop's
jagged rhythms and advanced harmonies on the ivories. From Bill Evans to
Cecil Taylor, virtually no post-World War II jazz pianist escaped Powell's
influence, but his status as one of the music's handful of revolutionary
innovators has long overshadowed his work as a composer. Corea, a highly
influential pianist-composer in his own right, pays Powell the ultimate
compliment of delving deeply into his music. In crafting arrangements for
some of the pianist's lesser-known works, Corea reveals a profound musical
legacy.
Corea's serious-minded approach to "Remembering Bud Powell" is apparent
through his choice of collaborators. Corea builds upon the precise,
emotionally expansive percussion textures laid down by 71-year-old Roy
Haynes, one of the fathers of modern drumming. Haynes has worked with just
about every major figure in the music over the last 50 years, including Charlie
Parker, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan, John Coltrane and Powell himself on
his classic sessions from the late '40s and early '50s. The ubiquitous
Christian McBride handles bass duty ably, while Corea has also recruited
Joshua Redman (tenor sax), Kenny Garrett (alto sax) and Wallace Roney
(trumpet), who all respond with heart and intelligence to
Powell's challenging music.
Of the album's 10 tracks, Corea pays his own
tribute, "Bud Powell," and covers three of Powell's better-known
tunes -- "Bouncin' With Bud," "Celia" and "Tempus Fugit." But it's the
pianist's more obscure pieces, such as the oddly haunting trio version of
"Dusk in Sandi," that make "Remembering Bud Powell" so compelling. Even the
juxtaposition of tunes lends insight into Powell's vast emotional range.
Corea's interpretation of the beautiful ballad "I'll Keep Loving You,"
with its unusual piano-bass-sax instrumentation, runs up against the stark
urban soundscape of "Glass Enclosure," which features almost dissonant lines
by Redman and Roney.
Powell, who died at 41 in 1966, was, even more than Charlie Parker, bebop's fallen
hero. Brutally beaten by police at the age of 21, Powell spent the rest of
his life fighting mental illness and playing terrifyingly powerful music
between breakdowns. "With Powell, we are always listening beneath the surface
for premonitions, disclosures, revelations, the deepest and most profane
secrets," wrote Gary Giddins in a fascinating 1994 Village Voice jazz supplement,
"The Earl of Harlem: Bud Powell at 70." Because Corea has taken the
time to listen beneath the surface, "Remembering" unearths Powell's many hidden treasures.
Feb. 20, 1997
--Andrew Gilbert
Andrew Gilbert is a regular contributor to Salon
Bookmark: http://www.salonmagazine.com/sharps/sharps.html
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