1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves and Welcome to This Day 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show that uncovers a little bit 4 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: more about history every day. Today is September. The day 5 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: was September nine. Earl Rudolph Powell, better known as Bud Powell, 6 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: was born in New York City. Pale was instrumental in 7 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: the development of modern jazz music. Though he died when 8 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,560 Speaker 1: he was just forty one years old, his accomplishments as 9 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: a jazz soloists greatly contributed to the growth of bebop. 10 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: Musical talent ran in Pale's family. His grandfather, father, and 11 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: siblings were all musicians. His father was a stride pianist. 12 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: Stride was a jazz piano style that developed as the 13 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 1: popularity of ragtime was dying down. Stride pianist played the 14 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: melody with the right hand, while the left hand alternates 15 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: between a single note and a chord played in octave 16 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 1: or more higher. The left hand had to go greater 17 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: distances on the keyboard, often very quickly, and improvisation was 18 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: more important than it had previously been. When Paul was 19 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 1: a child, his father began teaching him classical music. At 20 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: age fifteen, he dropped out of de Witt Clinton High 21 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: School to pursue his passion playing the piano. He began 22 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: playing at clubs in Coney Island and Harlem. In the 23 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: mid nineteen forties, pal Met the Loneous Monk, a jazz 24 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:47,199 Speaker 1: pianist and composer at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, and Monk 25 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: became a mentor to him. Powell became a regular feature 26 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: at Minton's Playhouse, known for its role in the development 27 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: of modern jazz and jam sessions with people like Charlie Parker, 28 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: Dizzy Gillespie, and Kenny Clark. Powell also toured and recorded 29 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: with trumpeter Cooney Williams's orchestra. He recorded with tenor saxophonist 30 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: Dexter Gordon, and he played on Charlie Parker's Savoy sessions. 31 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: He recorded the five volume The Amazing but Pale. In 32 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: the nineteen forties and nineteen fifties, influenced by Art Tatum, 33 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: Charlie Parker, Billy Kyle, and Felonious Monk, Paw emerged as 34 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: a leading figure in bebop. He found a lot of 35 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: success as a pianist, though black audiences were not initially 36 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: completely receptive to modern jazz. In the nineteen forties, still, 37 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: Paw faced physical and mental struggles. He spent time in 38 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: a psychiatric hospital from nineteen forty seven to nineteen forty 39 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: eight after getting in a fight at a bar. At 40 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: Createmore State Hospital, he received electro convulsive therapy. After he 41 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: was released from the hospital, he was placed in convalescent care, 42 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: which was basically parole. Paul returned to music, but he 43 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: spent a lot of time from nineteen fifty one to 44 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty three institutionalized. After he was arrested on a 45 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: drug charge in February of nineteen fifty three, the state 46 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: of New York declared him incompetent and incapable of handling 47 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: his own money. Oscar Goodstein, Powell's manager and owner of 48 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: Berland Nightclub, became his committee and began managing his money. 49 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: Goodstein got Pal steady work, but Pal was still struggling 50 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: with his mental health. His relationships with his colleagues were deteriorating. 51 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: In the late nineteen fifties, after spending more time in 52 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: the hospital, Paul moved to Paris with all Tva Edwards, 53 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: and he soon began playing in France and touring throughout Europe. 54 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: Edwards and a friend, Francis Poldra, looked out for pal 55 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: while in Europe, but he was deeply affected by his alcoholism, 56 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: mental illness, and medication. In nineteen sixty three, he contracted 57 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: to berculosis. Back in New York, musicians put together a 58 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: benefit concert to help him with medical expenses. In nineteen 59 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: sixty four, he moved back to the US. He continued 60 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: to play the piano, and his return was celebrated, though 61 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,720 Speaker 1: his performances did not get rave reviews. His music suffered 62 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: as his health declined and he missed some of his performances. 63 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 1: On July thirty one, nineteen sixty six, he died of 64 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: health complications. His pioneering work in bebop continued to influence 65 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:40,159 Speaker 1: later musicians like Bill Evans, Cecil Taylor, and Horace Silver. 66 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: I'm Eve, Jeffcode, and hopefully you know a little more 67 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. If you have 68 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 1: any burning questions or comments to tell us, you can 69 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at t d 70 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: i h C podcast. Thank you for joining me to 71 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: to day. See you same place, same time tomorrow for 72 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart 73 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 74 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: favorite shows.