So Good: Bud Powell

Chapter three of “But Beautiful,” by Geoff Dyer is one of those reads where the subway is sitting at the Coney Island station, empty, by the time you look up.

I don’t know if I can recommend it highly enough to fans of writing or fans of jazz.

Dyer’s breathless descriptions capture the moments when Powell’s schizophrenia seeps in; when his genius is in full display; and when the best he can do is hold on tight while being hurdled from one extreme to the other.

Wow. Just wow.

(I picked this clip for the close-ups of his hands and face.)

More video accompaniment to the jazz artists in Geoff Dyer’s “But Beautiful”: http://www.errico.com/tag/but-beautiful/

More So Good: http://www.errico.com/category/so-good/