WHY IS BUD POWELL CONSIDERED A GENIUS?

Through a process of gradual transformation, Jazz has evolved its language from the relative simplicity of the Blues and Ragtime, passing through its traditional phase, then a classical phase, to culminate in the complex idiom of Bebop. Unfortunately, the subsequent evolution of Bebop was interrupted by socio-economic factors, since it proved to be far too complex a style of music compared to the musical trends of the time, as well as becoming increasingly non-commercial, which led to the termination of its development. Bebop musicians in the mid '50s turned towards more commercial forms of Jazz, like Soul Jazz or Jazz-Rock, or else became lost in self-destructive life styles. Fortunately, the groundbreaking performances of Bebop have been well documented in numerous recordings, dating both to the time of its inception and to the following decades, and have subsequently been studied and analyzed by musical historians and musicians.

One notable master and teacher of the Bebop style who has helped to keep this art form alive in a group of young musicians is Barry Harris, who is one of the most direct descendents of the originators of Bebop.

In order to appreciate the genius of Bud Powell, and the dexterity with which he crafts the language of Bebop, we must explore the essence of Bebop from various different angles. Let us start first by stating a principle that, I think, governs a significant part of the creative impulse of Bebop.

THE PRINCIPLE OF LIBERATION THROUGH LANGUAGE

It states that:

“The more rigorously, coherently and economically a language is constructed, the more the ideas expressed through such a language will be varied and incisive, providing a liberating experience to those who express themselves through it"

We can illustrate this principle using a simple metaphor:  Lego blocks. This is a children's game consisting of a collection of small plastic building blocks of different sizes and shapes, used to build small houses, machines, bridges, and whatever else may be inspired by the child's imagination.

Let's imagine 3 children are asked to build a model house. The first child is given a bag with a few Lego blocks, having rudimentary shapes that can be attached one to the other. This child will be able to create his model house, but with few possibilities for variation, and his creativity will be somewhat restricted. The second child is given a bag of very small and poorly assorted building blocks. This child will struggle to construct the basic components of a house, like the doors, windows and roof. Furthermore, simple components like the walls will be very laborious to construct with so many small blocks, and the child’s initial creative impulse will soon be transformed into a tedious mechanical assemblage. The third child is given a bag of well assorted Lego blocks of various shapes and sizes. This child will be hindered in his construction only by the limits of his imagination.

In all three cases, the children's creations will be influenced by the type of blocks in their bag.
These three examples show how important it is to have adequate building block (i.e. vocabulary) in order to express a complex construction (i.e. art work) in both a balanced and efficient way. In the realm of music, Bebop could be considered such a language, having a well structured and
coherent grammar that allows for an infinite variety of rhythmic, melodic and harmonic nuances.

Let's explore some of the primary components of the Bebop grammar, as taught by Barry Harris in his workshops, and see how this grammar fully encompasses the PRINCIPLE OF LIBERATION THROUGH LANGUAGE.  Following is an overview of the basic musical concepts of Bebop, with just enough detail to illustrate how this brilliant method of codification can help us understand the language of Bebop.

Chord-scales: There are 6 fundamental chord-scales in Bebop: the major 6/diminished, minor 6/diminished, dominant, diminished, harmonic minor and whole tone. (Notice how these are far fewer than the 21 modes theorized in modern jazz). Each of the above 6 scales can be formed with a flexible number of notes, provided this is EVEN, and not odd, as with the usual scale C D E F G A B. So, there can be scales with 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14 notes. This additional note can be any note from the chromatic scale. Note that the 14 note scale is obtained by inserting an extra note between the two notes of the diatonic scale which don't already have a chromatic tone in between, i.e. between E - F and B - C (in the key of C). Such scales then become the building blocks for improvised lines.

One advantage of constructing scales this way is the rhythmic rigor that follows: the harmonic notes of the scale will always fall on a down beat. Naturally, when scales have 2 or 4 notes, they are commonly described as arpeggios. But the basis is always one of the 6 fundamental chord-scales.

Harmony:

1) All of Bebop harmony can be expressed through just 3 chords:  
 
                                             major 6, minor 6 and diminished 7

2) All chords can be expressed with 4 voices: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. In some cases, for slightly more complex harmony, 5 voices can be utilized (the baritone is added).

3) The 4 voices can be permutated in three dimensions:

            a) Expansion/contraction of the external voices (Soprano and Bass);
            b) Inversions towards the high or low register;
            c) Substitution of one or more voices with adjacent voices in the same scale.

Rhythm:

The basic rhythm of Bebop is 4/4, which is articulated in 12/8. If we consider dividing the space of a bar rhythmically, then we could have an accent on any of the 12 divisions of the bar. To illustrate the potential complexity of Bebop rhythms, let's imagine inserting only 2 rhythmic accents in a bar with 12 divisions. For each of the 12 possible positions of the first accent, we have (12 - 1) possibilities for the second accent. From this we must subtract doubles (i.e. accents on division (1) then (2) is equivalent to accents on (2) then (1) which amounts to 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11 = 66. Therefore, the total number of possible positions of two accents in one bar is 12 x (12-1) - 66 = 66. A similar calculation can be applied for 3, 4, 5 ...12 accents in one bar.

The origin of jazz rhythms is primarily found in African tribal music, centered on the drum, which has produced a synthesis of the multitude of possible rhythmic combinations. These rhythms were subsequently imported to America, where by the end of the 19th century, met with the European harmonic system. The complex African rhythms then had to accommodate the melodic and harmonic aesthetics of the tonal system, and this interaction gave rise to the very balanced, yet syncopated, rhythms so typical of Jazz.

Now that we have listed some of the essential ingredients of Jazz, let's see how they are managed by the Jazz musician. Consider the improvised melodic line first. In every instant if a tune's flow, there is a "basket of options" available to the improviser, which is dependent upon the underlying chord. This underlying chord will determine which if the 6 chords-scales described above will be used to fashion the improvised melodic idea. For example, a major 6 chord will indicate that the improviser can use the major 6/diminished chord-scale, in any of its versions consisting of between 2 and 14 notes (7 versions).

If the duration of this major 6 chord is of an entire bar, then the "basket of options" for an improvised line is quite large:

• We can choose from at most 14 notes to start the line;
• We can choose to start on any of the 12 divisions of the bar (in practice, the choice is restricted to 8 divisions, since the time pulse is in 4/4);
• We can change the direction of the line at any moment (i.e. upward or downward direction);
• We can play an ascending or descending arpeggio (consisting of minor 3rd intervals) insid the prevailing scale;

All these choices for just one bar! In the following bar there will be another chord on which to weave a new line, drawing from the "basket of options" described above.

We should note that many melodic solutions are often explored and practiced by the musician prior to his improvised performance, in order to test various rhythmic and harmonic solutions, or to verify fingering. The genius of Bud Powell lay in his ability to produce a great variety of original melodic ideas, chosen on the spur of the moment, indicating considerable mental prowess. 
 
That said, it could be noted that during the course of Bud's artistic development, he has tended to favor particular choices from his "basket of options". For example, his use of arpeggios is prevalent, as is his use of 8 and 10 note scales (containing 1 and 2 chromatic notes respectively);
and we see a frequent use of "appoggiaturas" on non-harmonic notes, i.e. Powell starts a melodic phrase with a dissonant note on the DOWN BEAT, thus creating a very marked tension-resolution effect.

To illustrate Bud's wealth of ideas in a typical solo, here is part of a solo transcription, showing the beginning of the musical phrase Bud Powell plays at the point in the tune “Get Happy” where the chord progression is always the same, in this case F - C7. You will notice that each phrase is completely different and original.

An audio-visual version of this collection of phrases is available at: http://www.harmotech.com/RobNissim/analysis.html

In conclusion, simply by looking at the graphic variety of melodic profiles in the transcribed solo, we can appreciate the richness of his melodic ideas. Had we analyzed further choruses of this solo, we would have found even more original ideas. Naturally, the determination of an artist's
"creativity quotient" is a relative judgment: in a community of highly creative people, high levels of creativity become the norm. But when comparing Bud Powell's melodic ideas with those of other pianists of his time (or the present time, for that matter), we realize that Bud's ideas flow thicker and more plentiful than the other's. It is for this reason that his music should be listened to and studied by all modern Jazz pianists, for inspiration, ideas and to discover melodic, harmonic and rhythmic solutions. The fact that no pianists coming after Bud Powell have been able to match the quality and quantity of his musical ideas is a fact that places him, in my opinion, in the Olympus of musical geniuses of modern improvised music.