Francis Paudras (January 21, 1935 – November 26, 1997) was a French musician and author best known for La Danse des Infidels, his biography of jazz pianist Bud Powell.

Biography

Paudras was born in Chilly-Mazarin, France on January 21, 1935.^[1]

He was "a keen follower of jazz in Paris" who befriended a number of jazz pianists including Powell, Bill Evans, and Jacky Terrasson. He was Powell's guardian during the early 1960s and brought the bebop pianist back to New York after his stay in France.^[2] Paudras captured hours of footage of the pianist, in addition to interviews and recordings of other prominent jazz musicians of the era, which he added to his collection; the videos ultimately became part of Rutgers University's Library. Among the musicians interviewed in the collection were Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Pierre Michelot, and Dizzy Gillespie.^[3]

Paudras wrote two books: La Danse des Infidels about the life of Powell, and a book to which he was the co-author, To Bird with Love.^[2] The former included a detailed account of Powell's later life and described the friendship between Powell and Paudras from a more personal perspective than that of a typical biography.^[4] La Danse des Infidels was used as source material for Bertrand Tavernier's 1986 film Round Midnight starring saxophone player Dexter Gordon, who had himself recorded with Powell while the pianist was living in France.^[5]

His home, a castle previously occupied by the Knights Templar, in rural France was a popular destination for jazz expatriates living in Europe including Johnny Griffin, Thelonious Monk, and Bill Evans. Paudras was himself an accomplished jazz and classical pianist, and a few of his performances during the 1980s were captured on tape.^[6]

Paudras died of suicide on November 26, 1997, at his home in France following attempts by the French government to confiscate his collection due to a tax dispute.^[2][6]

References