BUD POWELL: Live at the Blue Note Café, Paris 1961
ESP-Disk’

BEBOP – Reissue of a rare live session featuring the great but troubled Powell in good form alongside saxophonist Zoot Sims (#1-3), drummer Kenny Clarke and the excellent French bassist Pierre Michelot. Bud sounds more focused here than on most of his 1960s dates, as he plays a mix of bop standards and Thelonious Monk tunes (see trivia note below). This is lively bop, served straight up. A good time.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10

1. 12:30 – upbeat, swinging bop: long, lilting piano solo; everybody’s happy
2. 09:52 – lively, easygoing swing; warm solos all around, nifty drums
3. 11:35 – slow-chugging blues, a nice laid-back jam. Speedy coda.
4. 06:24 – straightforward swing w/refined piano, gentle bass, steady drums
5. 03:49 – strong Monk bounce, rock-solid in the pocket
6. 05:59 – “Round Midnight,” moody but with a hard edge
7. 07:04 – tight drums & bass, loose piano combine for a cool sound
8. 03:55 – Monk ballad, in deep mahogany tones
9. 04:12 – speedy bebop; popping piano and steamroller drums
10. 02:59 – relaxed ballad; great tinkly piano sound

[ Fo ] 24-Nov-07

Trivia: Although there is no direct evidence, I suspect Monk was in the audience. This session was recorded sometime in April 1961 (the exact date is not given). Monk performed at the Olympia theatre in Paris on April 18, as recorded on the Riverside album “Two Hours with Thelonious.” After that gig, why wouldn’t he want to drop in on his former protégé? And if Monk was there, perhaps Bud thought it appropriate to honor his influence with some tunes. It just seems to fit...