Powell was perhaps the first pianist to vocalize on the piano, meaning that he transfered his vocalized improvisations directly through his hands to the instrument. This gave his music a deep connection to time, which is an artifact of the human voice. Previously, horn players were more likely to express their improvisations vocally, as the mouth and breath are directly tied to the performance of horn players.
Powell suffered from Bi-Polar Disorder, and in November 1947, Powell was admitted to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, where he stayed for more than a year, receiving electroconvulsive therapy which caused severe memory loss. The young Jackie McLean and Sonny Rollins became friendly with Powell on his release from the hospital, and Powell recommended McLean to Miles Davis. However, Powell suffered from mental illness throughout his life, and had a reputation for his strange behaviour. In fact his problems, exacerbated by a beating from the police in 1945 for being disorderly, could all be attributed to being a manic depressive, although his illness was almost certainly a key driver of his immense creative talent. He was also an alcoholic, and even small quantities of alcohol had a profound effect on his character, making him aggressive. Powell's continued rivalry with Charlie Parker, while essential to the production of brilliant music, was also the subject of disruptive feuding and bitterness on the bandstand, as a result of Powell's troubled mental and physical condition. He spent all of 1952 (and parts of many subsequent years) in a hospital. When he was out of the hospital, he was often locked up in a hotel room and was usually denied receiving the money he earned performing.
It is generally agreed that his best recordings are those made prior to 1954, both for Blue Note Records and for Norman Granz (at Mercury Records, Norgran Records, Clef Records and later on Verve Records).
After 1953 (when Powell attempted suicide), his style became darker and slower. Many jazz critics pronounced him "washed up" during the last decade of his career. There were a few recordings which never should have been issued (Verve from January 1955 and Roulette Oct. 1964). Still, he continued to play with great intensity even without the speed that made him famous in the 1940s. His late 1950s Blue Note recordings are recommended. Bud performed regularly with drummer Kenny Clarke and bassists Oscar Pettiford or Pierre Michelot. He performed brilliantly as a sideman for Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dexter Gordon on recordings in the early 1960s. As late as 1962 he recorded concerts in Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland, in which he played as brilliantly as he had played in the late 1940s. Powell moved to France in 1959, when his life was extended by several years under the care of a fan named Francis Paudras, whose book "Dance of the Infidels" is required reading for any Powell fan. Paudras' friendship produced many impromptu recordings and was the basis for the 1987 Bernard Tavenier film "Round Midnight", for which Dexter Gordon received a best actor Oscar nomination (as a fictional composite of Bud Powell and Lester Young).
Paudras and Powell returned to Birdland in the fall of 1964 to initial critical acclaim. Bud despised the drummer he had to play with and soon lost his regular engagement at Birdland. After Paudras returned to France without Powell, ESP-disk's founder became Bud's legal guardian, but let Bud self-destruct from late 1964 until his death in July, 1966. Bud's last recordings were a haunting, sparse "Round Midnight" from Carnegie Hall in March 1965 and other trio tracks from January 1966 on the mysterious "Ups 'n Downs" album.
He is survived by his daughter Celia, who has been reissuing Paudras' recordings of her father on the Pablo and Piadrum labels.
Fine and Dandy
Bud Powell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I like your attitude
You are just the kind I've had in mind
Never could find
Honey, I'm so keen on you
I could come to lean on you
On a random bay, give you your way
Gee, it's all fine and dandy
Sugar candy, when I've got you
Then I only see the sunny side
Even trouble has it's funny side
When you're gone, my sugar candy
I get so lonesome, I get blue
But when you're handy
It's fine and dandy
But when you're gone
What can I do?
In Bud Powell's song Fine and Dandy, the singer is expressing their admiration for the person they are addressing. They acknowledge that their compliments may come across as insincere or cliche, but affirm that they truly appreciate the recipient's positive attitude. The singer goes on to explain that they are attracted to the recipient because they seem to be exactly the kind of person they have been looking for but have never been able to find. The singer is so taken with the recipient that they could see themselves depending on them and doing whatever they ask, even if it means giving up control.
The chorus of the song reinforces the notion that the recipient brings joy and positivity into the singer's life. They claim that everything is "fine and dandy" when they are together, and even difficult or unpleasant situations seem more manageable. However, when the recipient is not around, the singer is no longer able to see the sunny side of things and becomes lonely and despondent.
Line by Line Meaning
Please forgive this platitude
I hope my expression doesn't sound trite
But I like your attitude
I really enjoy the way you behave
You are just the kind I've had in mind
you are exactly the kind of person I've been thinking about
Never could find
I didn't think I could find someone like you
Honey, I'm so keen on you
I really like you, darling
I could come to lean on you
I could depend on you for support
On a random bay, give you your way
I'll do anything to please you, anywhere, anytime
Do what you say
I'll follow your instructions
Gee, it's all fine and dandy
Gosh, everything is going really well indeed!
Sugar candy, when I've got you
Life is sweet when I have you by my side
Then I only see the sunny side
With you, I only see the positive aspect of things
Even trouble has it's funny side
Even the difficult moments are not so bad when we are together
When you're gone, my sugar candy
When you leave, my dearest
I get so lonesome, I get blue
I feel so lonely and sad
But when you're handy
But when you're around
It's fine and dandy
Everything is perfect
But when you're gone
But when you're not here
What can I do?
What I can do to forget you?
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kay Swift, Paul James
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
radilja1994
Bud Powell at his best time. What a talent !
918V
1974 Oscars Streaker.
Jake Laur
1:48