A Portrait of Thelonious is a studio album by jazz pianist Bud Powell, released on Columbia in 1965, featuring a session recorded at Studio Charlot in Paris on December 17, 1961, with Pierre Michelot on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. The session was the second of two produced by Cannonball Adderley with Powell, following the A Tribute to Cannonball session recorded two days earlier. The album was digitally remastered and re-released on CD in 1997 with one additional take and without the fake applause added to the original LP.

History

The album features four Monk compositions, only one of which had previously been recorded by Powell. That composition is the first track on the album, "Off Minor", a song that Powell recorded during his first session as leader (see Bud Powell Trio) in January 1947. The 1947 recording had been the song's debut recording, since Monk himself only recorded it in October the same year (see Genius of Modern Music).

Reception

Don Nelson of DownBeat sharply criticized "Ruby, My Dear," which had previously been released on a compilation album; he described it as "unrepresentative of a giant." He noted that a previous DownBeat review of the compilation had come to a similar conclusion and had discouraged release of the full album. However, Nelson praised the album's other tracks, particularly those with a faster tempo, such as "Foolin'," "Thelonious," and "There Will Never Be Another You."

Track listing

All songs were written by Thelonious Monk, except where noted.

Personnel

Performance

Production