Jazz Articles about Bill Evans

About Bill Evans

Album Review

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 ...

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Album Review

Cannonball Adderley: Know What I Mean?

Read "Know What I Mean?" reviewed by David Rickert

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 ...

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Album Review

Bill Evans/Don Elliott: Tenderly

Read "Tenderly" reviewed by David Rickert

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 ...

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Album Review

Bill Evans & Don Elliott: Tenderly

Read "Tenderly" reviewed by Derek Taylor

by Derek Taylor
August 1, 2001

Subtitled ‘An Informal Session’ this mid-1950s meeting between Evans and Elliott transpired in the latter’s home studio. Never intended for release, listeners expecting a tightly cropped and polished studio date are likely to be disappointed. Fortunately Fantasy producer Eric Miller opted to leave those extraneous noises that did not directly compromise the music in the mix. The result is voyeuristic snapshot of two musicians playing purely for their own enjoyment, working out tunes on the spot and tinkering expressively with ...

Late Night Thoughts on Jazz

Bill Evans: Self Confidence and the Unique Voice

by Marshall Bowden
July 5, 2001

This article first appeared on All About Jazz in July 2001. I've been listening to the Bill Evans Complete Riverside Recordings box set and thinking about jazz musicians and self-confidence. The environment of jazz has always been competitive and therefore required a lot of belief in oneself and what one was doing in order to just continue to play and develop. Take Miles Davis, a supremely confident musician if ever there was one. But when Miles first climbed ...

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Album Review

Eddie Costa: Guys and Dolls Love Jazz

Read "Guys and Dolls Love Jazz" reviewed by Craig Jolley

by Craig Jolley
June 1, 2001

In retrospect it's hard to see how or why this record was made in the days before CD's as calling cards. Eddie Costa had little name recognition, and what fame he enjoyed was on piano, his primary instrument. The material--cute boy-meets-girl tunes written in subservience to 1950's-clever lyrics--does not lend itself to jazz interpretation. [A couple of the songs have since become standards after being overhauled by Miles Davis and Oscar Peterson.] Costa as a sometime studio musician probably had ...

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Album Review

Bill Evans Trio: The Last Waltz (The Final Recordings Live at Keystone Korner September 1980)

Read "The Last Waltz (The Final Recordings Live at Keystone Korner September 1980)" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
January 1, 2001

Fans of the late great pianist Bill Evans should be overjoyed with the issuance of this nicely packaged eight CD boxed set that represents sixty-five previously unreleased tracks recorded live at San Francisco’s “Keystone Korner”, September, 1980. This attractive compilation is additionally enhanced by Derk Richardson’s wonderfully written and informative liner notes, as the author elaborates on Evans’ previous accomplishments and the sad events leading to the artist’s death which occurred shortly afterwards.The Last Waltz features Evans along ...