Bud Powell's Moods

For the earlier Mercury Records recording of the same name, see The Genius of Bud Powell.

Bud Powell's Moods
Studio album by Bud Powell
Released	1956
Recorded	June 2 & 4, 1954, January 12, 1955
Genre	Jazz
Length	38:14
Label	Norgran
Producer	Norman Granz
Bud Powell chronology
The Amazing Bud Powell, Vols. 1 & 2 (1956) Bud Powell's Moods (1956) Piano Interpretations by Bud Powell (1956)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Bud Powell's Moods is a studio album by jazz pianist Bud Powell, released in 1956 by Norgran, ^[2] featuring sessions that Powell recorded in 1954 and 1955.

Background

The sessions on this album mark the beginning of a two-year period (from June 1954 to September 1956) when Powell recorded exclusively for Norman Granz at Fine Sound Studios in New York.

Style, writing, composition

The two Powell compositions, "Buttercup" and "Fantasy in Blue", are both up-tempo, in contrast to the ballads comprising the rest of the album.

According to pianist Barry Harris, Powell did not select many of the tunes for the session, and he was unfamiliar with some of them, particularly "I Get a Kick Out of You," at the time of recording. ^[3]

Release history

The album was re-issued by Verve, ^[4] and released as a CD replica by Verve (Japan) in 2006 (POCJ-2740). The sessions (with alternate takes) are also available on CD on The Complete Bud Powell on Verve (1994) box set.

Track listing

12" LP (MGN 1064, MGV 8154)

All songs were written by Bud Powell, except where noted.

Side A

1. "Moonlight in Vermont" (Karl Suessdorf, John Blackburn) – 3:35
2. "Spring Is Here" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:27
3. "Buttercup" – 2:59
4. "Fantasy in Blue" – 3:04
5. "It Never Entered My Mind" (Rodgers, Hart) – 2:56
6. "A Foggy Day" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:45

Side B

1. "Time Was" (AKA "Duerme" «Sleep») (Miguel Prado, Gabriel Luna, Bob Russell) – 4:17
2. "My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers, Hart) – 2:53
3. "I Get a Kick Out of You" (Cole Porter) – 4:26
4. "You Go to My Head" (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 4:11
5. "The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)" (Irving Berlin) – 2:41

Personnel

Musicians

June 2, 1954

• Bud Powell – piano
• George Duvivier ^[5] – bass
• Art Taylor – drums
  • Fine Sound Studios, New York, side A tracks 1-4

June 4, 1954

• Bud Powell – piano
• Percy Heath ^[2] – bass
• Art Taylor – drums
  • Fine Sound Studios, New York, side A tracks 5-6 and side B tracks 1-2

January 12, 1955

• Bud Powell – piano
• Lloyd Trotman – bass
• Art Blakey – drums
  • Fine Sound Studios, New York, side B tracks 3-5

Production

• Norman Granz – producer
• David Stone Martin – cover design

Release history

The Artistry of Bud Powell

The two June 1954 sessions were originally released on a 10" LP called The Artistry of Bud Powell on Norgran in 1954. ^[6]

The Artistry of Bud Powell 10" LP (MGN 23)

1. "Moonlight in Vermont" (Suessdorf, Blackburn)
2. "Spring Is Here" (Rodgers, Hart)
3. "Buttercup"
4. "Fantasy in Blue"

1. "It Never Entered My Mind" (Rodgers, Hart)
2. "A Foggy Day" (Gershwin, Gershwin)
3. "Time Was" (Prado, Luna, Russell)
4. "My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers, Hart)

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Togashi, Nobuaki; Matsubayashi, Kohji; Hatta, Masayuki. "Bud Powell Discography (MGN 1064)". jazzdisco.org . Retrieved June 12, 2009.
3. Pullman, Peter; Harris, Barry (1994). The Complete Bud Powell on Verve (Media notes). p. 123.
4. Togashi, Nobuaki; Matsubayashi, Kohji; Hatta, Masayuki. "Bud Powell Discography (MGV 8154)". jazzdisco.org . Retrieved June 12, 2009.
5. Granz, Norman (1954). The Artistry of Bud Powell (Liner Notes). Bud Powell. USA: Norgran Records. MGN 23. "This date was done in two sections and on one date we used George Duvivier on bass and on the other Percy Heath. The drummer on both dates was Art Taylor."
6. Togashi, Nobuaki; Matsubayashi, Kohji; Hatta, Masayuki. "Bud Powell Discography (MGN 23)". jazzdisco.org . Retrieved June 12, 2009.