Bill Evans: Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings (Remastered 2025)

The past five years have been a banner period for recordings drawn from the vast canon of Bill Evans work, encompassing both previously issued material and newly discovered performances. Adding to the fact that one can easily hunt down previously issued expansive reissues of Evans' Riverside, Verve, and Fantasy catalogs, many unearthed tapes have finally seen the light of day through the efforts of Elemental Music and Resonance Records. And while it has been several decades since the JVC XRCD program delivered audiophile-grade compact discs of many classic Riverside dates, only recently have vinyl reissues begun to appear, several of them debuting as Record Store Day exclusives.

Among an embarrassment of riches, Evans' Riverside catalog stands out as the pick of the litter for many listeners. Central to that period was his partnership with producer Orrin Keepnews, a kindred spirit who was more than willing to give Evans ample studio time. Beginning with New Jazz Conceptions (Riverside, 1956), Evans steadily honed his evocative style, intent on moving beyond the conventional piano trio format. In his hands, the trio became a three-way conversation, with each musician contributing equally to the direction of the performance.

While the follow-up, Everybody Digs Bill Evans (Riverside, 1959), is rightly celebrated, the full flowering of Evans' vision would not arrive until the formation of his seminal trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. That group, tragically short-lived, produced only two studio albums: Portrait in Jazz (Riverside, 1959) and Explorations (Riverside, 1961), along with the legendary Village Vanguard sessions before LaFaro's untimely death. Both studio dates are included in this five-LP boxed set.

What truly sets this collection apart is the sound. Thanks to Jamie Howarth's Plangent Process, the music has never been heard with greater clarity. By addressing flutter, noise, and other analog tape anomalies without compromising the integrity of the original recordings, the process allows unprecedented focus and stability. Add Paul Blakemore's mastering and vinyl lacquers cut by Kevin Gray, and the result is a definitive presentation of this material. As if that were not enough, the set includes 26 alternate takes and 17 previously unheard takes, along with deluxe packaging that more than justifies the price of admission.

Adding to the enjoyment of the set, each album is presented in its own sleeve, with the corresponding alternate takes included alongside the master performances. Portrait in Jazz opens with "Come Rain or Shine," a fine illustration of the liberties Evans took with melody. On alternate take 4, he is even more oblique in stating the theme, skirting the lead line during the initial exposition. "Autumn Leaves" likewise rewards close listening, particularly in the way Evans inserts brief, inventive figures during LaFaro's solo. "Spring Is Here" stands as one of the set's most poignant moments, beautifully showcasing Evans' gift for the ballad.

By the time of the February 1961 Explorations sessions, the trio had coalesced even further, a chemistry made all the more palpable by the improved recorded sound captured by Bill Stoddard at Bell Sound Studios. The album opens with "Israel," a defining composition of the period that clearly proved fertile ground for Evans, who would revisit it frequently in both live and studio settings throughout his career. Aside from "Nardis" and "Sweet and Lovely," much of the album unfolds at slower, more reflective tempos, hallmarks of Evans' muse that allow the trio's interplay to emerge with striking clarity and depth.

While alternate takes may not be everyone's cup of tea, listeners willing to delve deeper into the creative minds of Evans, LaFaro, and Motian will be well rewarded. Across these performances, one can hear a clear progression of ideas and the sense that any number of takes might just as easily have been chosen as the master. That is often the case with alternative material, but it is rarely revealed with such clarity. Even for the upgraded sound alone, this set stands as a worthy and essential addition to the Bill Evans canon.

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