''Jazz Giant'' is a studio album by

jazz pianist 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 Musical ...

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory,Grove Powell's application of complex phrasing to ...

, released on Norgran in 1950, featuring two sessions that Powell recorded for

Norman Granz Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz record producer and concert promoter. He founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo and the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series. Gra ...

in 1949 and 1950. The album was remastered and re-released on CD in 2001 by Verve as a Verve Master Edition. The sessions also appear on '' The Complete Bud Powell on Verve'' (1994) box set.

History

The first session, with Ray Brown and

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

, took place on February 23, 1949 after Powell obtained a temporary release from Creedmoor State Hospital where he was receiving psychiatric treatment, and represents his second recording date as leader (the first being his Roost session in 1947 – see '' Bud Powell Trio''). The second, with Curley Russell and Roach, is from February 1950, post-dating his first

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

session for '' The Amazing Bud Powell''.

Track listing

''All songs were written by

, except where noted.'' #" Tempus Fugue-it" (aka "Tempus Fugit") – 2:29 #"Celia" – 3:01 #"

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

" (

Ray Noble Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 3 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United S ...

) – 3:39 #"I'll Keep Loving You" – 2:43 #"Strictly Confidential" – 3:10 #"All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" ( Bronislaw Kaper,

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (G ...

, Walter Jurmann) – 3:02 #"So Sorry Please" – 3:18 #" Get Happy" (

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

Ted Koehler Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Life and career Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C. He started out as a photo-engraver, but ...

) – 2:55 #" Sometimes I'm Happy" (

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

, Irving Caesar) – 3:40 #" Sweet Georgia Brown" ( Maceo Pinkard, Kenneth Casey) – 2:51 #" Yesterdays" (

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

) – 2:53 #" April in Paris" (

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I ...

, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg) – 3:12 #" Body and Soul" (

Johnny Green John Waldo Green (October 10, 1908 – May 15, 1989) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his ear ...

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul", " When I Fall in Love", and " For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Bi ...

, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton) – 3:21

Personnel

Performance

–

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

''February 23, 1949, tracks 1-6.'' * Ray Brown –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

(except track 4 – Powell solo) *

–

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

(except track 4 – Powell solo) ''February 1950, tracks 7-13.'' * Curley Russell – bass (except track 11 – Powell solo) *Max Roach – drums (except track 11 – Powell solo)

Production

– producer * David Stone Martin – cover design

Release history

All of the tracks on ''Jazz Giant'' apart from "Cherokee" were first released in album form on two 10" LPs in 1950: ''Piano Solos'' and ''Piano Solos #2'', the latter LP also having two tracks ("Tea for Two" and "Hallelujah!") from a separate session not on ''Jazz Giant''. "Cherokee" had only previously appeared as a single and on ''The Jazz Scene'', a compilation album featuring various artists.

''Piano Solos'' 10" LP (MG 35012, MGC 102, MGC 502)

#"Tempus Fugue-It" – 2:29 #"I'll Keep Loving You" – 2:43 #"Celia" – 3:01 #"All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" (Kaper, Kahn, Jurmann) – 3:02 #"Yesterdays" (Kern, Harbach) – 2:53 #"Strictly Confidential" – 3:10 ''February 23, 1949, side A tracks 1-3,, side B tracks 1, 3.'' *Ray Brown – bass *Max Roach – drums ''February 1950, side B track 2 – Powell solo.''

''Piano Solos #2'' 10" LP (MGC 507)

#"So Sorry Please" – 3:18 #"April in Paris" (Duke, Harburg) – 3:13 #"Get Happy" (Arlen, Koehler) – 2:55 #"Tea For Two" – 3:49 #"Sweet Georgia Brown" (Pinkard, Casey) – 2:51 #"Body and Soul" (Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton) – 3:24 #"Sometimes I'm Happy" (Youmans, Caesar) – 3:40 #"Hallelujah!" – 2:59 ''February 1950, side A tracks 1-3, side B tracks 1-3.'' *Curley Russell – bass *Max Roach – drums ''July 1, 1950, side A track 4, side B track 4'' *Ray Brown – bass *

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

– drums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jazz Giant Bud Powell albums 1956 albums Norgran Records albums Verve Records albums Albums produced by Norman Granz Albums with cover art by David Stone Martin