Francis Paudras collection on Bud Powell

Francis Paudras (1935-1997) was an artist, amateur pianist, and jazz enthusiast who developed a close friendship with jazz bebop pianist, Bud Powell. In the early 1960s, Paudras offered Powell a place to stay in his Paris apartment while Powell was recovering from a severe case of tuberculosis. In addition to the role of caretaker, Paudras became Powell's unofficial manager. Paudras documented his friendship with his musical idol and filmed him with a home movie camera in a variety of informal settings, including on vacation in Normandy, at the sanitarium, socializing with friends, backstage at musical venues, and at Paudras's apartment. After Powell’s death, Paudras conducted and filmed interviews with musicians who performed with or were inspired by Powell, including Kenny Clarke, Leonard Gaskin, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Gourley, Jenny Gregory, Bertha Hope, Al Levitt, Pierre Michelot, Max Roach, Don Schlitten, and Rene Urtreger.

Paudras is the author of two books: To Bird with Love (1981) and La Danse des Infidèles (1986). His friendship with Powell was fictionalized in the 1986 film "Round Midnight,” written and directed by Bertrand Tavernier and starring Dexter Gordon. Paudras committed suicide in 1997 at his home in France.

Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (1924-1966) was a prominent American composer, pianist, and a seminal figure in the progression of modern jazz, also known as bebop. He was widely recognized for his exceptional proficiency in playing at rapid tempos. Amongst his notable original compositions are "Un Poco Loco", "Dance of the Infidels", "Celia", "Tempus Fugue-it", and "Bouncing with Bud". He recorded with several labels including Blue Note, Mercury, Norgran, Clef, and Roost. Powell's greatest musical influences include jazz pianists Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk.

In the mid-1940s, after a gig in Philadelphia, Powell was apprehended by the transit police at Broad Street Station. During his brief incarceration he received beatings and suffered a head trauma. After his release, he complained of headaches, was hospitalized, and received psychiatric treatment. Powell’s serious physical and mental health struggles persisted throughout his life. He developed chemical addiction issues and spent long periods of time in hospitals and psychiatric facilities.

By the early 1960s, Powell had moved to Paris. While in Europe, he performed at the Antibes Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival and at European venues such as Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen and The Blue Note and Club Saint-Germain in Paris. In 1963 he contracted tuberculosis and was hospitalized. He returned to the United States the following year to perform at Birdland. Powell passed away in 1966 at the age of 41 in New York City.