Jazz Articles about Bill Evans

Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings

by Larry Koenigsberg
March 8, 2004

Peter Pettinger Yale University Press New Haven 1998

This is an exhaustive trawl through the work of Bill Evans, with characterizations of virtually every recorded track, whether created for posterity or bootlegged from a concert or broadcast. Evans’ work schedule gets a similar treatment, although the author implies that there are quite a few more performance dates than the many which he does characterize or at least mention. There are also many quotations from Evans, who ...

Bill Evans: Getting Sentimental: Live at the Village Vanguard

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
March 5, 2004

Devotees of the immortal Bill Evans will jump at this bouquet of previously unreleased cuts, taped by fan Mike Harris at the Village Vanguard on January 15, 1978. During that week, Evans was trying out a different replacement for bassist Eddie Gomez each night, among them Rufus Reid and George Mraz. This recording was Michael Moore's “audition" for the trio, which he passed, staying with them for six months. Harris's reel-to-reel was digitally edited and mastered at Fantasy studios in ...

Bill Evans: Getting Sentimental

by Russell Moon
February 10, 2004

Getting Sentimental is a bootleg tape released with the permission of the Evans estate. Like the recordings of The Secret Sessions box, it was recorded without Evans' knowledge by a fan who was a regular customer of the Village Vanguard, in this particular case on January 15, 1978. Bassist Eddie Gomez had recently left Evans after twelve years of service, and this was the tryout for Michael Moore. Based upon his performance this night, Evans hired him. Drummer Philly Joe ...

Tony Bennett / Bill Evans: The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album

by C. Michael Bailey
May 25, 2003

I suspect it would be rank hyperbole to state that Tony Bennett and Bill Evans were soul mates. No, that would probably be inaccurate. Actually, the two artists had very little in common aside from the fact that they were both jazz musicians. Bennett--a virile, muscular jazz singer with a conservative yet extroverted style--shared few obvious things with Evans, who was painfully shy, introverted, and impressionistic. But that is the beauty of jazz. These two exceptional musicians came together at ...

Bill Evans Trio: Explorations

by David Rickert
February 10, 2003

An article in a men’s magazine once suggested an exercise regimen that consisted of a walk to the local record store to buy one Bill Evans CD every day. That way you would not only be in better shape, but you would also have a great collection of piano jazz as well. It’s an established fact that Evans revolutionized the sound of the piano trio; you can bet that every pianist who ever worked the hotel lounge circuit has worn ...

Cannonball Adderley: Know What I Mean?

by David Rickert
March 1, 2002

It must have seemed like a winning combination at the time; Evans and Addereley, two contributors to the Kind Of Blue album, paired with the bassist and drummer from the Modern Jazz Quartet. Unfortunately the results are less than stellar, resulting in a merely good album instead of a classic one. In actuality Evans and Adderley, removed from the guiding force of Miles, have little in common with one another; Evans was certainly the most important ingredient in the modal ...

Bill Evans/Don Elliott: Tenderly

by David Rickert
September 1, 2001

It is commonplace today for a reissued CD to feature a handful of alternate takes culled from the master tapes of the original session. Frequently filled with false starts, clumsy solos, and interjections from the control room, these tracks provide insight into the recording process and valuable knowledge about the musician's craft. Tenderly is, for all intents and purposes, an entire album of unpolished takes that offer a glimpse into the processes of a soon-to-be a jazz legend ...