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Bill Evans: Nardis

By Sue Yang
May 29, 2026
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Bill Evans turns "Nardis" into something far more tense and combustible on At The Montreux Jazz Festival (Verve Records, 1968). Anyone coming to this performance looking only for the lyrical, introspective Evans will hear a trio working closer to the edge. Jack DeJohnette keeps the music in restless motion, Eddie Gomez pushes the bass into a fully melodic role, and Evans shapes the piece with dark modal suspense, sudden flares and beautifully judged pauses. What makes this version so memorable is not volume or speed but pressure. The trio keeps testing how much tension the tune can hold without losing its shape. In just over eight minutes, Evans transforms "Nardis" into a performance that is mysterious, physical and unmistakably his own.

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