Piece image
Image by: Hulton Archive / Getty Images 

Bud Powell: Bebop Pianism

From: NPR Music
Series: Jazz Profiles
Length: 54:00

Embed_button
Pianist Bud Powell was admired by his contemporaries as an adventurous original with a style marked by unrivaled virtuosity. Today, he is remembered for redrawing the course of modern jazz piano by pioneering bebop improvisation at the keyboard. Read the full description.

Powell250_small Pianist Bud Powell was admired by his contemporaries as an adventurous original with a style marked by unrivaled virtuosity. Today, he is remembered for redrawing the course of modern jazz piano by pioneering bebop improvisation at the keyboard. Though personal misfortune interrupted his career, and shortened his life, at his peak Powell exuded an emotion and power that captivated audiences and musicians alike.

Also in the Jazz Profiles series

Piece image

Ella Fitzgerald, 'First Lady of Song' (54:00)
From: NPR Music

Her voice is instantly recognizable. Her youthful exuberance, pure sound and positive energy just make you feel good. Her incredible technical abilities were self-evident, ...
Piece image

Art Tatum, 'The Musician's Musician' (58:00)
From: NPR Music

One of the greatest improvisers in jazz history, Art Tatum also set the standard for technical dexterity with his classic 1933 recording of "Tea for Two."
Caption: Miles Davis (July 1991), Credit: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images

Miles Davis, Part 1: Miles' Styles (54:00)
From: NPR Music

Miles Davis was the personification of restless spirit, always pushing himself and his music into uncharted territory.
Piece image

Miles Davis, Part 2: 'Kind of Blue' (54:00)
From: NPR Music

The best-selling jazz record of all time is a universally acknowledged masterpiece, revered as much by rock and classical music fans as by jazz lovers. The album is Miles ...
Piece image

Johnny Hartman, 'The Romantic Balladeer' (54:00)
From: NPR Music

Johnny Hartman was the quintessential romantic balladeer. The only singer to record with John Coltrane — on the iconic album John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman — his fame was ...
Piece image

Sidney Bechet, 'Soprano Sax King' (54:00)
From: NPR Music

Sidney Bechet was the undisputed king of the soprano saxophone and also one of the most innovative and original clarinetists in jazz.
Caption: Mary Lou Williams, Credit: Michael Ochs Archives

Mary Lou Williams, 'Perpetually Contemporary' (54:31)
From: NPR Music

Mary Lou Williams was not only present for nearly every development in jazz music -- she was influential to most of them. In her compositions, arrangements, piano playing, ...
Caption: A young Louis Armstrong., Credit: Getty Images

Louis Armstrong: 'The Man and His Music,' Part 1 (54:00)
From: NPR Music

It is hard to overstate the incredible reach of Louis Armstrong. The music he made touched everyone who heard it, and revolutionized American entertainment in ways we can ...
Caption: Louis Armstrong, pictured here in 1956, produced hit films and records throughout his long career., Credit: Getty Images

Louis Armstrong: 'The Man and His Music,' Part 2 (54:00)
From: NPR Music

By his early thirties, Louis Armstrong had already revolutionized jazz forever. Working with his mentor "King" Oliver in Chicago, Armstrong explored and expanded the sounds ...
Caption: Louis Armstrong, in a 1944 publicity photograph., Credit: Getty Images

Louis Armstrong: 'The Trumpeter' (54:00)
From: NPR Music

Before Louis Armstrong ever sang a duet with Ella Fitzgerald or Bing Crosby, there was just a lanky young man with a bright, beautiful horn. That young man transformed the ...

Piece Description

Pianist Bud Powell was admired by his contemporaries as an adventurous original with a style marked by unrivaled virtuosity. Today, he is remembered for redrawing the course of modern jazz piano by pioneering bebop improvisation at the keyboard. Though personal misfortune interrupted his career, and shortened his life, at his peak Powell exuded an emotion and power that captivated audiences and musicians alike.

Timing and Cues

00:00 IC: Support for...
24:14 OC: ...National Public Radio.
Music Break (:50)
25:05 IC: On November 15th...
53:59 OC: ...National Public Radio.