Bud Powell – Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell [180g Vinyl]

Description

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio on May 24, 1958, Time Waits is the fourth volume in Blue Note’s Amazing Bud Powell series and one of the most purely joyful piano trio sessions Powell ever committed to tape. With Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones behind the kit, Powell works through eight of his own compositions with a fluency and invention that belies the personal turbulence that marked much of his life. Producer Alfred Lion, who had an extraordinary gift for drawing focused performances from Powell, captured him here at a creative peak.

The eight tracks are all Powell originals, and the writing is as strong as the playing. “Buster Rides Again” opens the album at a brisk, exhilarating clip, while “Monopoly” showcases the intricate rhythmic displacement that made Powell so difficult to imitate. “John’s Abbey” stands among the session’s most memorable moments, and the title track “Time Waits,” built on the melody of the Mexican popular song “Duerme,” brings a more lyrical quality that balances the album’s harder-driving numbers.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series pressing is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on audiophile 180-gram vinyl at Optimal. The stereo mix is open and well-defined, with Philly Joe Jones given generous presence throughout.

• Format: 180g Black Vinyl LP
• Standout Tracks: “Buster Rides Again,” “Monopoly,” “John’s Abbey”
• Pressing Details: Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series, Audiophile, All-Analog Mastered by Kevin Gray from the Original Master Tapes, Pressed at Optimal, Germany, Stereo
• Genre/Style: Bebop, Hard Bop, Piano Jazz, Post-Bop, Avant-Garde Jazz
• UPC: 602445082162

Time Waits captures Bud Powell in exceptional form, and the Kevin Gray all-analog mastering gives this long-celebrated session a clarity and presence that makes it easy to understand why Powell remains the defining voice in bebop piano.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Buster Rides Again
2. Sub City
3. Time Waits
4. Marmalade

Side B:

1. Monopoly
2. John’s Abbey
3. Dry Soul
4. Sub City (Alternate Take)