The Amazing Bud Powell: Black Genius, Jazz History, and the Challenge of Bebop

314 Pages·2013·4.13 MB·English

by  Guthrie P. Ramsey

Michael P. Roth and Sukey
Garcetti have endowed this
imprint to honor the memory of
their parents, Julia and Harry
Roth, whose deep love of music
they wish to share with others.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the
generous support of the Music in America
Endowment Fund of the University of California
Press Foundation, which was established by a
major gift from Sukey and Gil Garcetti, Michael P.
Roth, and the Roth Family Foundation.
In addition, the publisher gratefully acknowledges
the generous contribution to this book provided by
the Research Opportunity Grant from the School
of Arts and Sciences at the University of
Pennsylvania.
And the publisher gratefully acknowledges the
generous contribution to this book provided by the
Gustave Reese Endowment of the American
Musicological Society.
The Amazing Bud Powell
The Amazing Bud Powell
Black Genius, Jazz History,
and the Challenge of Bebop
Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley • Los Angeles • London
CENTER FOR BLACK MUSIC RESEARCH
Columbia College Chicago
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University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles,
California University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
Center for Black Music Research Columbia College Chicago
© 2013 by The Regents of the University of California For
illustration credits, please see page 229
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ramsey,
Guthrie P.
The amazing Bud Powell : Black genius, jazz history, and the
challenge of bebop / Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr.
p. cm. — (Music of the African diaspora ; 17) Includes
bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0-520–24391–0 (cloth : alk. paper) eISBN
9780520955158
1. Powell, Bud—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Jazz—
History and criticism. I. Title.
ML417.P73R36 2013
786.2’165092—
dc23 2012039182
Manufactured in the United States of America
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally
responsible and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has
printed this book on Rolland Enviro100, a 100% post-consumer
fiber paper that is FSC certified, deinked, processed chlorine-
free, and manufactured with renewable biogas energy. It is
acid-free and EcoLogo certified.
For Kellie Jones, the first I ever met
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. “Cullud Boys with Beards”: Serious Black Music and the
Art of Bebop
2. Something Else: The Tests and Triumphs of a Modernist
3. Notes and Tones: Black Genius in the Social Order
4. Making the Changes: Jazz Manhood, Bebop Virtuosity, and
a New Social Contract
5. Exploding Narratives and Structures in the Art of Bud
Powell
Coda: Cultural Validation and Requiem for a Heavyweight
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Index
Acknowledgements
Although I completed a dissertation on Bud Powell what seems
like ages ago, I cannot claim that he’s always been “on top of
my desk” in the ensuing years. There were many other projects
to complete, including my book Race Music: Black Cultures
from Bebop to Hip-Hop; writing, recording, and performing my
own music; curating the exhibition Ain’t Nothing Like the Real
Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American
Entertainment for the National Museum of African American
History and Culture; many smaller writing assignments;
wonderful collaborations with other artists and scholars; and
much more. Mr. Powell patiently waited his turn.
When I started to think about him seriously again, and with
more maturity, the lessons of his musical life and the issues
surrounding them became clearer and more salient. Powell
became a wonder. I first and foremost thank him for sharing
his beautiful gift with the world, and I hope, with this book,
that others will find a greater appreciation for the profundity,
sublimity, and courage that I’ve found in his work.
The many roads traveled from graduate school to an
endowed professorship have been filled with people and
institutions that have supported my work in numerous ways. At
the University of Michigan, a scholarly and musical community
sparked my excitement for intellectual pursuits and showed me
how they might intersect with my ongoing interest in
performance. The Thurgood Marshall Dissertation Fellowship
at Dartmouth College allowed me time and resources to
complete my dissertation on Powell. Tufts University’s collegial
faculty and inspiring students provided great opportunities to
understand how teaching could impact one’s intellectual life.
I can never thank my colleagues at the University of
Pennsylvania enough for their very special brand of support,