Jazz Articles about Bill Evans

Bill Evans: You Must Believe In Spring

by Chris M. Slawecki
May 21, 2004

After more than a decade as one of the pianist's most sympathetic bassists, this was Eddie Gomez's last recording with Evans, a trio set with drummer Eliot Zigmund recorded in 1977 and released after Evans' death in 1980.Evans never stopped searching for new ideas. He might be faulted for repeatedly looking for them in the same tunes, but this program is quite varied, including Johnny Mandel's “Suicide is Painless" (the theme from M.A.S.H. ); Michel Legrand's title track; ...

Bill Evans: New Jazz Conceptions

by David Rickert
May 14, 2004

The first album by any given artist is not likely to be their best, for obvious reasons: most are still developing a style and honing their craft. This 1956 session, Bill Evans’ first as a leader, is no different. The introverted pianist had to be virtually forced into recording as a leader, but these early explorations launched one of the most acclaimed and influential careers in the history of jazz. However, these are, at heart, exactly that: early explorations. Even ...

Bill Evans: Consecration: The Final Recordings Part 2 [Box Set]

by Samuel Chell
May 4, 2004

I had assumed that these recordings fit into the category of “he plays well under the circumstances." Forget the qualifiers. Listening to this set and the previously released The Last Waltz is a bit like sharing the experience of the wild-eyed poet who has returned from feasting on the milk of paradise in Coleridge's “Kubla Khan." After tasting such nectar, nothing henceforward can satisfy the palette. So if the two sets (16 discs) comprising Evans' last stand seem extravagant in ...

Three Classic Riverside Reissues

by Charlie B. Dahan
April 28, 2004

Three classic Riverside recordings have been recently reissued: Bill Evans' solo debut New Jazz Conceptions , Cannonball Adderley and Milt Jackson's Things Are Getting Better and Chet Baker's Chet Baker Plays The Best of Lerner and Loewe. While only the Adderley/Jackson and Evans' reissues contain bonus tracks, all three have been remastered using 20-bit K2 super encoding and include excellent and insightful liner notes from the original release by Orrin Keepnews who either produced or co-produced each of these recordings ...

Bill Evans: You Must Believe In Spring

by Mark Corroto
April 3, 2004

Somewhere between the huge box sets of Bill Evans’ work on Verve, Riverside, Fantasy and his final works (and almost final live dates) lie some true gems. Romantics fall easily for the gritty sounds of Evans accompanying singer Tony Bennett from 1975 and his two Paris concerts from 1979, both released on Blue Note, which are indeed triumphs of his spirit. I’d put my vote in for this session released originally in 1981, a year after Evans’ passing. ...

Bill Evans: Everything Happens To Me - A Musical Biography

by C. Michael Bailey
March 8, 2004

Everything Happens To Me Keith Shadwick Backbeat Books, Music Player Network, San Francisco, 2002 ISBN 0-87930-708-0

Years before Brad Meldau thought to redefine the jazz piano trio, Bill Evans defined it in the first place. In piano jazz history, Bill Evans influenced every major pianist to come after him. Before Evans, influentially, only Bud Powell can be spoken of in the same breath. Following Peter Pettinger's 1999 Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, British ...

Bill Evans, The Pianist as an Artist

by Kyle Simpler
March 8, 2004

The Pianist as an Artist Enrico Pieranunzi Continuum Books ISBN: 0826457967

Many professional musicians possess a great talent, but only a few achieve a level of true greatness. The legendary pianist, Bill Evans definitely fits into this second category. Evans left an indelible mark on the history of jazz. Even now, twenty-two years after his death, his recordings still influence musicians around the world. Unfortunately, his talent was counterbalanced by a dark side, which ...