Un Poco Loco is an Afro-Cuban jazz standard composed by American pianist Bud Powell. It was first recorded on May 1, 1951 for Blue Note Records by Powell with Curly Russell and Max Roach, and released in 1951 as a single from the album The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume One, with the B-side It Could Happen to You. The tune is a 32-bar jazz piece that blends bebop with Latin flavor, featuring a lydian scale and polytonal harmony such as a D major 7 over C major 7. Max Roach contributed a distinctive, energetic drum pattern that helps drive the tempo, and the performance clocks in around 4 minutes and 42 seconds. Un Poco Loco is considered a landmark in bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz and remains one of Bud Powell’s most celebrated Blue Note recordings.
