Bud Powell and mysterious brother Bill

I purchase music online, which involves searching for songs within my preferred merchant's site. That process has its strong points and its flaws. Here's an example of an algorithm gone wrong.

For some time, I've been on the hunt for Jazz at Massey Hall, featuring Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Mingus, Bud Powell, and Max Roach. I have possessed a re-released vinyl version of this recording since my high school days. (The link's history of the recording is incomplete, by the way.) It has gone just about everywhere I've lived. Let's just say the music has powerful sentimental value for me. Among digital recording's virtues is its ability to preserve what might be lost in a vinyl medium. Once upon a time, I collected 78s and 33 1/3s, and I've understood from that experience how precious, fragile, and fleeting these artifacts can be. This awareness led me to begin purchasing music I love that has every potential to slowly vanish from public access.

Theoretically, Jazz at Massey Hall should have been an uncomplicated search and purchase, given the recording's prominent personnel. It turned out to be quite difficult to find, thanks to its confusing repackaging. (The repackaging of music from its original release information is an interesting, involved subject.) I was happy when "Volume One" became available, and I gratefully pounced on it. However, there was no "Volume Two," (which featured an exceptional session with Bud Powell, Mingus, and Roach) even though the original vinyl release was a two-album, unified title release. The search, despite all the algorithmically suitable search terms, produced dead end leads.

One day, during an unrelated search for "Bud Powell," I saw an entry for "Bill Powell." Curiosity led me to Mr. Bill. His one entry was the missing Massey Hall numbers, along with four "bonus" tracks from Billy Taylor that had absolutely no connection with the Massey Hall concert. I bought the music, and felt a great sense of relief.

However, my experience shows the limits of algorithmically-based logic. Its weaknesses, such as the impact of inaccurate information on web "certainty," circumscribes the strong case for this means of preservation and access. On the other hand, I do have the real Bud Powell, even if he's entered under an assumed name. Phew!