Parisian Thoroughfare

"Parisian Thoroughfare"
"Parisian Thoroughfare"
Song by Bud Powell
from the album The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1
Written	1951
Recorded	May 1, 1951
Studio	WOR Studios, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Label	Blue Note
Composer	Bud Powell

Last updated November 20, 2025

"Parisian Thoroughfare," also known as "Parisienne Thorofare,"^[2] is a jazz standard composed by pianist Bud Powell.^[1]^[3]^[4]^[2] It is a contrafact of "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea".

History

It was first recorded by Powell in February of 1951 for Clef Records.^[3] However, the first recording under its ultimate title was recorded on May 1 with Powell, bassist Curley Russell, and drummer Max Roach for Blue Note Records. Powell recorded it again in 1963 in France with Gilbert Rovere and Kansas Fields.^[5]

Notable recordings

On the 1954 album Clifford Brown & Max Roach which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999^[6]
Jacky Terrasson and Tom Harrell included the song in their 1991 album Moon and Sand .^[7]
Terrason also covered the song in 2002 album Smile .^[8]
On the 1968 album The Jaki Byard Experience .^[9]
On the 1965 album by salsa pianist Ricardo Ray On The Scene with Ricardo Ray Vol. 2 he first plays the tune with his trio as an instrumental straight ahead jazz piece which then breaks into a mambo featuring vocalist Chivirico Davila and trumpeter Ray Maldonado.

References

1 2 Hillshafer, Linda. "Stories of Standards: "Parisian Thoroughfare" by Bud Powell". KUVO. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
1 2 "Parisian Thoroughfare". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
1 2 Dryden, Ken. "Parisian Thoroughfare". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
↑ Taylor, Mark. "Parisian Thoroughfare". Hal Leonard. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
↑ "Bud Powell Discography". www.jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
↑ Hawtin, Steve. "Albums from the Year 1954". tsort - The World's Music Charts. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
↑ "Moon & Sand - Jacky Terrasson". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
↑ "Smile - Jacky Terrasson". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
↑ "The Jaki Byard Experience - Jaki Byard". AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2025.

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[KUVO-1] 1 2 Hillshafer, Linda. "Stories of Standards: "Parisian Thoroughfare" by Bud Powell". KUVO. Retrieved 31 March 2019.

[SecondHandSongs-2] 1 2 "Parisian Thoroughfare". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 31 March 2019.

[AllMusic-3] 1 2 Dryden, Ken. "Parisian Thoroughfare". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2019.

[Hal_Leonard-4] Taylor, Mark. "Parisian Thoroughfare". Hal Leonard. Retrieved 31 March 2019.

[5] "Bud Powell Discography". www.jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2024-01-12.

[tsort-6] Hawtin, Steve. "Albums from the Year 1954". tsort - The World's Music Charts. Retrieved 1 April 2019.

[7] "Moon & Sand - Jacky Terrasson". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 August 2020.

[8] "Smile - Jacky Terrasson". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2025.

[9] "The Jaki Byard Experience - Jaki Byard". AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2025.

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v t e Bud Powell
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release. Because Powell's discography features albums with the same title, record labels are identified to avoid any confusion.
As leader or co-leader	Bud Powell Trio (Roost, 1947–53) Jazz Giant /Piano Solos/Piano Solos, No.2 (1949–50) The Amazing Bud Powell (1949–51) The Genius of Bud Powell /Bud Powell's Moods (Mercury/Verve, 1950–51) Inner Fires (1953) The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2 (1953) Bud Powell's Moods (Norgran/Verve, 1956) Jazz Original /Bud Powell '57 (1954–55) The Lonely One... (1955) Piano Interpretations by Bud Powell (1955) Blues in the Closet (1956) Strictly Powell (1956) Bud! (1957) Swingin' with Bud (1957) Bud Plays Bird (1957–58) Time Waits (1958) The Scene Changes (1958) Bud in Paris (1959–60) The Essen Jazz Festival Concert (1960) A Portrait of Thelonious (1961) A Tribute to Cannonball (and Don Byas, 1961) 'Round About Midnight at the Blue Note (1961) At the Golden Circle (1962) Bouncing with Bud (1962) Americans in Europe (split album, 1963) Bud Powell in Paris (1963) Relaxin' at Home, 61–64 (1961–64) Eternity (1961–64) The Invisible Cage (1964) Holidays in Edenville, 64 (1964) The Return of Bud Powell (1964) Award at Birdland, 64 (1964) Ups 'n Downs (c. 1965)
With others	Cootie Williams and His Orchestra 1941–1944 (Cootie Williams, Classics, 1944) New York Journeyman – Complete Recordings (Frank Socolow, 1945) Dexter Rides Again (Dexter Gordon, 1946) J. J. Johnson's Jazz Quintets (1946) Sonny Stitt/Bud Powell/J. J. Johnson (1949–50) One Night in Birdland (1950) Jazz at Massey Hall (Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Mingus, Max Roach, 1953) Mingus at Antibes (Charles Mingus, 1960) Paris Jam Session (Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, 1959) Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris (1963) Our Man in Paris (Dexter Gordon, 1963)
Compilations and box sets	Earl Bud Powell, Vol. 1: Early Years of a Genius, 44–48 (1944–48) The Best of Bud Powell on Verve (1949–55) The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings (1947–63) The Complete RCA Trio Sessions (1956–57) The Complete Bud Powell on Verve (1949–56)
Compositions	"Bouncing with Bud" (1946) "Tempus Fugue-it" (1949) "Parisian Thoroughfare" (1951) "Un Poco Loco" (1951) "Glass Enclosure" (1953) "Mediocre" (1955) "Bud on Bach" (1957) "Una Noche con Francis" (1964)
Related	Round Midnight (1986)

"Parisian Thoroughfare"
Song by Bud Powell
from the album The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1
Written	1951^[1]
Recorded	May 1, 1951
Studio	WOR Studios, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Label	Blue Note
Composer	Bud Powell

Parisian Thoroughfare

Contents

History

Notable recordings

References