What is actually on "Volume 1"
The 1949 and 1951 sessions were first issued together on a 10-inch LP, Blue Note BLP 5003 in 1952, titled simply The Amazing Bud Powell. There was nothing to distinguish it from at the time, so it carried no volume number. The 1953 session got its own 10-inch two years later as Vol. 2, BLP 5041.
Blue Note dropped the 10-inch format in 1955 and recompiled the three sessions across two 12-inch LPs. Volume 1 became BLP 1503, with Volume 2 as BLP 1504 the following month.
Sources disagree on what went where. Wikipedia's chronology describes BLP 1503 as compiling material from all three dates, including 1953 material.
Two sources describing the product itself say otherwise. Blue Note's own store page and an Elusive Disc listing give the same twelve-track listing. It covers the 1949 and 1951 sessions only.
Two independent product descriptions agreeing against a general chronology is the stronger evidence, so Volume 1 is treated here as the first two sessions. The conflict stands unresolved.
Later editions moved things again. A 1989 CD remaster reordered tracks chronologically and shifted five tracks from the 1951 session onto Volume 2. A 2001 Rudy Van Gelder remaster reorganised the pair once more, closer to the original two 10-inch releases.
Chasing a specific take means confirming the exact edition. A release titled Volume 1 does not guarantee an identical programme.
Recording history and tape provenance
"Un Poco Loco" was recorded in three takes across the 1951 session, and reissues typically carry all three. It is built on a hypnotic Max Roach cowbell pattern under Powell's increasingly unmoored right-hand lines.
Blue Note's own history records how close the August 1949 date came to not happening, as told by biographer David Pullman.
Powell was so late that Curley Russell and Max Roach, used to his disappearances, waited ninety minutes and nearly gave up. Then, by Alfred Lion's account, a studio door burst open and Powell rushed in. He sat down at the piano and announced that they were ready to go.
Roach got behind the drums, Russell picked up his bass, and the session began within moments, unrehearsed.
The 1966 pseudo-stereo edition
A 1966 reissue carries catalogue BST 81503. The jazzdisco.org Blue Note discography documents it as pseudo stereo, and Fresh Sound Records corroborates that.
These sessions were recorded in mono and no genuine stereo mix exists. Electronically rechannelled stereo adds no real channel-separated information and can introduce phasing artefacts, so collectors treat it as a downgrade.
A copy labelled BST 81503 rather than BLP 1503 is this rechannelled edition. Blue Note also issued mono repressings in 1966 under the original BLP 1503 number, so the year alone does not identify a copy.
Original and early pressings
A 1955 first pressing has deep grooves on both label sides and a "767 Lexington Ave. N.Y.C." address on the label. The dead wax carries an etched RVG mark alongside the Plastylite "ear."
The back cover reads "767 Lexington Ave., New York 21," and the cover is non-laminated and framed with a blank spine. Collectors document copy-to-copy label variation within genuine originals, so this is a strong guide rather than an absolute rule.
Owner reviews describe an unusually wide mono soundstage, one calling the pressing stunning and noting the height of the image more than its width.
1957 repressings circulate widely, and one owner who compared a 1957 repress against the Classic Vinyl edition describes the older copy as thin and tinny.
Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series
The Classic Vinyl edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and pressed at Optimal in Germany on 180g.
An owner who compared it against a 1957 repress found Powell's piano clear and relatively lively where the older copy sounded thin.
That same owner notes no remastering transcends the era's recording limitations, while crediting Gray's work at Cohearent Audio with putting flesh and blood into these recordings.
A Disc Union limited edition from Japan, catalogue DBLP-033, draws praise from at least one owner. No mastering credit for it could be confirmed, so it is not rated here.
Buyer's guide by budget
$$$: The Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series edition, with a confirmed all-analog Kevin Gray credit.
$$$$: A clean original BLP 1503 mono pressing, with the catalogue number checked against the 1966 pseudo-stereo edition.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series | BLP 1503 | – | Mono, 33⅓, 180g | Kevin Gray, all-analog. Pressed at Optimal | In print. Tracklist covers the 1949 and 1951 sessions | – |
| A | Blue Note original | BLP 1503 | 1955 | Mono, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder. Pressed by Plastylite | First 12" pressing. Deep groove, 767 Lexington labels, RVG and "ear" in the dead wax | $1,258VG+ $1,644NM $1,838M |
| B | Blue Note repressing | BLP 1503 | 1957 | Mono, 33⅓ | Blue Note lacquer | One owner describes it as thin and tinny against the Classic Vinyl cut | $248VG+ $325NM $363M |
| C | Blue Note pseudo-stereo reissue | BST 81503 | 1966 | Rechannelled stereo, 33⅓ | Electronically reprocessed from the mono master | Reprocessed, not a stereo mix. No stereo recording of these sessions exists | $69VG+ $91NM $102M |
| – | Blue Note mono reissue | BLP 1503 | 1966 | Mono, 33⅓ | Blue Note lacquer | Not rated. Mono repressing from the same year as the pseudo-stereo edition | $88VG+ $115NM $129M |
| – | Disc Union (Japan) | DBLP-033 | – | Mono, 33⅓ | Not credited | Not rated. Limited edition. Praised by one owner, no mastering credit confirmed | – |
References
- Discogs (master, all versions): https://www.discogs.com/master/224363-Bud-Powell-The-Amazing-Bud-Powell-Volume-1
- Wikipedia, "The Amazing Bud Powell, Vols. 1 & 2": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Bud_Powell,Vols._1%26_2
- jazzdisco.org, Bud Powell discography: https://www.jazzdisco.org/bud-powell/discography/
- Blue Note Records, Classic Vinyl Series product page: https://store.bluenote.com/products/bud-powell-the-amazing-bud-powell-lp-blue-note-classic-vinyl-series
- Elusive Disc, "Bud Powell The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 1 LP": https://elusivedisc.com/bud-powell-the-amazing-bud-powell-volume-1-lp/
- Blue Note Records, "The Amazing Bud Powell": https://www.bluenote.com/spotlight/the-amazing-bud-powell/
- Fresh Sound Records, "The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 1": https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/bud-powell-albums/56501-the-amazing-bud-powell-volume-1-vinyl.html