Tempus Fugue-it
| "Tempus Fugit" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bud Powell | |
| from the album Jazz Giant | |
| Released | 1956 |
| Recorded | 1949 |
| Genre | Bebop |
| Label | Verve |
| Composer(s) | Bud Powell |
| Producer(s) | Norman Granz |
"Tempus Fugue-it" (also known as "Tempus Fugit") is a 1949 jazz composition by jazz pianist Bud Powell (1924–1966). It has been recorded by Powell, Miles Davis and many others.
The song is not actually a fugue in compositional form; its title is a pun on the Latin phrase tempus fugit, meaning "time flies". The name is also a reflection of the speed at which the piece is played.
Financial Times critic Mike Hobart described the composition as a "modernist masterpiece".