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.
I Get a Kick Out of You
Bud Powell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mere alcohol,
Doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me, why should it be true,
That I get a kick out of you.
Some get a kick from cocaine,
I'm sure that if,
It would bore me terrifically,too,
Yet I get a kick out of you.
I get a kick every time I see you,
Standing there before me,
I get a kick though it's clear to see,
You obviously don't adore me.
Some get a kick in a plane,
Flying too high,
With some gal in the sky,
Is my idea of nothing to do,
But I get a kick out of you.
I get a kick, out of you.
The lyrics of the song I Get a Kick Out of You by Bud Powell express the idea that love, rather than material indulgences like alcohol or drugs, is what truly excites and inspires passion. The singer explains that they do not find satisfaction in champagne or cocaine, but they do find a "kick" or a thrill in the person they are singing to. They admit that this person may not feel the same way towards them, but their presence is still enough to elicit an emotional response. The final verse suggests that even activities like air travel, which some may find thrilling, are meaningless when compared to the joy of being near the one they love.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of contrast between the empty pleasure of material goods and the depth of feeling that comes with love. The lyrics highlight the idea that true happiness involves a connection with another person, rather than superficial sources of pleasure. The use of the word "kick" emphasizes the sense of excitement and energy that comes from being with someone you love, and the repetition of the phrase "I get a kick" reinforces the idea that this feeling is powerful and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
I get no kick from champagne,
Drinking champagne doesn't give me any pleasure or excitement.
Mere alcohol,
Even drinking regular alcoholic drinks doesn't thrill me.
Doesn't thrill me at all,
I don't find any excitement or enjoyment in drinking alcohol.
So tell me, why should it be true,
I wonder why people assume that because I don't enjoy champagne or alcohol, I wouldn't enjoy anything else.
That I get a kick out of you.
Despite not finding pleasure in alcohol, I find enjoyment and excitement in being around you.
Some get a kick from cocaine,
Some people find pleasure and excitement in using drugs like cocaine.
I'm sure that if,
I believe that if I were to try cocaine even once,
I took even one sniff,
and just took one small inhale of it,
It would bore me terrifically, too,
I would find it extremely uninteresting and dull as well.
Yet I get a kick out of you.
Despite not finding excitement in cocaine, I still enjoy being around you.
I get a kick every time I see you,
Every time I see you, I feel a sense of excitement and enjoyment.
Standing there before me,
When you're standing in front of me, I feel delighted and thrilled.
I get a kick though it's clear to see,
Even though it's obvious that you don't have the same feelings towards me.
You obviously don't adore me.
It's clear that you don't have strong feelings of love or admiration towards me.
Some get a kick in a plane,
Some people find excitement and enjoyment in travelling by plane.
Flying too high,
Flying at high altitudes can be exciting and thrilling.
With some gal in the sky,
Being airborne with a romantic partner can be a special and romantic experience.
Is my idea of nothing to do,
For me, that doesn't sound like an interesting or worthwhile activity.
But I get a kick out of you.
Despite not enjoying flying or doing things in the sky, I still find excitement and enjoyment in being around you.
I get a kick, out of you.
Being with you fills me with a sense of excitement, enjoyment, and happiness.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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I can always listen to I get a kick out of you. This is a wonderful way to start my morning, thank you. ^v^
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I was wondering if you're eventually going to upload a variation of "Cute"? I love that song.
itsRemco
Ohh I actually know this one! Yeah it's on my list as well haha
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@itsRemco Also my personal favourite version if your interested https://youtu.be/V53tjPcBNic
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@itsRemco Yes although I don't have a midi for it. https://youtu.be/uiFEGxPeq3g
itsRemco
Could you provide a link?
95acres [ZENT]
Do you think you can find a version of Carolina Shout as played by Willie "The Lion" Smith?
95acres [ZENT]
@itsRemco That is great to hear! Looking forward to it!
itsRemco
@95acres [ZENT] I'm going to transcribe his version sometime
95acres [ZENT]
@itsRemco Yeah I checked that one out. That is pretty good. But it turns out there are many versions that it is played, even James P Johnson plays it a little differently every time. I think Willie "The Lion" Smith plays it differently also in the 2004 documentary that you uploaded. Personally Willie is one of my favorite early jazz/stride players so I am looking in many places to find the way that he plays it.