Blues in the Closet
Encyclopedia
Blues in the Closet is a studio album by jazz pianist
Bud Powell
, released in 1958 by Verve
, featuring a session that Powell recorded at Fine Sound Studios in New York in September 1956.
The album was released as a CD replica by Verve (Japan) in 2006 (POCJ-2744). The sessions (with alternate takes) are also available on The Complete Bud Powell on Verve
(1994) CD box set.
for the first time (in the studio at least) since the first Verve sessions back in 1949-50. Fittingly, it ends with "52nd Street Theme", the traditional closing number in the heyday of bebop in the forties.
Jazz piano
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
Bud Powell
Bud Powell
Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
, released in 1958 by Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
, featuring a session that Powell recorded at Fine Sound Studios in New York in September 1956.
The album was released as a CD replica by Verve (Japan) in 2006 (POCJ-2744). The sessions (with alternate takes) are also available on The Complete Bud Powell on Verve
The Complete Bud Powell on Verve
The Complete Bud Powell on Verve is a five-disc box set, released on September 27, 1994, containing all of jazz pianist Bud Powell's recordings as leader for Verve.-Disc one:#"Tempus Fugue-it" – 2:25#"Celia" – 2:57...
(1994) CD box set.
History
This session is the last that Powell recorded for Verve, and re-unites him with Ray BrownRay Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
for the first time (in the studio at least) since the first Verve sessions back in 1949-50. Fittingly, it ends with "52nd Street Theme", the traditional closing number in the heyday of bebop in the forties.
Track listing 12" LP (MGV 8218)
- "When I Fall in LoveWhen I Fall in Love"When I Fall in Love" is a 1952 popular song recorded by many artists.When I Fall in Love may also refer to:* When I Fall in Love , an album by Chris Botti, with a version of the 1952 song...
" (Victor YoungVictor YoungVictor Young was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. He was born in Chicago.-Biography:...
, Edward HeymanEdward HeymanEdward Heyman was an American musician and lyricist, best known for his compositions "Body and Soul", "When I Fall in Love", and "For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed many songs for films.-Biography:...
) – 1:42 - "My Heart Stood StillMy Heart Stood Still"My Heart Stood Still" is a 1927 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical A Connecticut Yankee , where it was introduced by Constance Carpenter and William Gaxton.-Notable recordings:...
" (Richard RodgersRichard RodgersRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
, Lorenz HartLorenz HartLorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
) – 3:33 - "Blues in the Closet" (aka "Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas") (Harry BabasinHarry BabasinHarry Babasin was an American jazz bassist. His nickname was "The Bear".-Biography:...
, Oscar PettifordOscar PettifordOscar Pettiford was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer known particularly for his pioneering work in bebop.-Biography:...
) – 3:04 - "Swingin' Till the Girls Come Home" (Pettiford) – 3:24
- "I Know That You Know" (Vincent YoumansVincent YoumansVincent Youmans was an American popular composer and Broadway producer.- Life :Vincent Millie Youmans was born in New York City on September 27, 1898 and grew-up on Central Park West on the site where the Mayflower Hotel once stood. His father, a prosperous hat manufacturer, moved the family to...
, Anne CaldwellAnne CaldwellAnne Caldwell , also known as Anne Caldwell O'Dea, was a librettist and lyricist. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She wrote both pop songs and Broadway shows including working with Jerome Kern.-External links:...
) – 2:26 - "Elogie" (aka "Elegy") – 3:00
- "Woody'n You" (Dizzy GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
) – 3:55 - "I Should CareI Should Care"I Should Care" is a popular song by Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston and Sammy Cahn, published in 1944. The original recording by Ralph Flanagan and His Orchestra, with vocalists: Harry Prime and The Singing Winds was made at Manhattan Center, New York City, on July 18, 1952...
" (Sammy CahnSammy CahnSammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
, Axel StordahlAxel StordahlAxel Stordahl was an arranger who was active from the late 1930s through the 1950s. He is perhaps best known for his work with Frank Sinatra in the 1940s at Columbia Records...
, Paul WestonPaul WestonPaul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
) – 3:42 - "Now's the Time" (Charlie ParkerCharlie ParkerCharles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
) – 4:36 - "I Didn't Know What Time It WasI Didn't Know What Time It Was"I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is a popular song. The music was written by Richard Rodgers and the lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical Too Many Girls . Early hit versions included Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw...
" (Rodgers, Hart) – 4:02 - "Be-Bop" (Gillespie) – 2:27
- "52nd Street Theme" (Thelonious MonkThelonious MonkThelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
) – 2:24
Performance
September 23, 1956. Fine Sound Studios, New York.- Bud PowellBud PowellEarl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Ray BrownRay Brown (musician)Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
– bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Osie JohnsonOsie JohnsonJames "Osie" Johnson was a jazz drummer.He first worked with Sabby Lewis and then, after service in the United States Navy freelanced for a time in Chicago...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....