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.
Round About Midnight
Bud Powell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The song 'Round Midnight by Bud Powell is a melancholic tune that is about the feelings of sadness and loneliness that are often triggered by memories of a lost love. The song opens with the lyrics, "It begins to tell 'round midnight, midnight. I do pretty well, till after sundown. Suppertime I'm feelin' sad. But it really gets bad 'round midnight." The singer is describing their struggle to get through the day without their thoughts turning to the person they have lost, but each day, as nighttime approaches, the sadness becomes overwhelming.
The second verse of the song focuses on memories of the lost love that come flooding back around midnight. The lyrics read, "Memories always start 'round midnight. Haven't got the heart to stand those memories. When my heart is still with you. And ol' midnight knows it, too." The singer is haunted by memories of their former love, and no matter how hard they try, they can't escape them. Even when they're ready to move on, midnight remains a reminder of what they've lost.
In the final verse, the singer expresses a hope that their love can be rekindled. They sing, "Let our hearts take wings 'round midnight, midnight. Let the angels sing for your returning, till our love is safe and sound. And old midnight comes around, feelin' sad, really gets bad. Round, round, round midnight." The singer wants nothing more than for their former love to come back to them, and they hope that their love can be restored.
Overall, 'Round Midnight by Bud Powell is a poignant and thoughtful song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The story of a man's loneliness.
'Round midnight, midnight
At the time of night when a man feels most alone.
I do pretty well, till after sundown
The man is able to distract himself from his loneliness during the day.
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
However, when it gets to mealtime, he feels his loneliness more acutely.
But it really gets bad
And it only gets worse as the night wears on.
'Round midnight
By midnight, his loneliness is overwhelming.
Memories always start 'round midnight
At this time of night, his thoughts always turn to past memories.
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
These memories are painful for him to recall.
When my heart is still with you
The memories are of a past love that he still longs for.
And ol' midnight knows it, too
Even the time of night seems to remind him of his lost love.
When a quarrel we had needs mending
He wonders if their love is still salvageable.
Does it mean that our love is ending
He questions whether their love is coming to an end.
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
He still loves her and wants her back.
You're out of my heart
But she seems to have moved on from him.
And I'm out of my mind
This thought drives him to despair.
Let our hearts take wings'
He dreams of rekindling their love.
'Round midnight, midnight
Once again, wishing for the comfort of night.
Let the angels sing
Hoping for divine intervention to bring them back together.
For your returning
He longs for her return.
Till our love is safe and sound
Until they are reunited and their love is secured.
And old midnight comes around
And he is left alone once again.
Feelin' sad
Saddened by his situation.
Really gets bad
To the point of unbearable.
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The song's title underscores the relentless nature of his loneliness.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind