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Bill Evans

Who Was Bill Evans?

Bill Evans, one of the most influential and tragic figures of the post-bop jazz piano, was known for his highly nuanced touch, the clarity of the feeling content of his music and his reform of the chord voicing system pianists used. He recorded over fifty albums as leader and received five Grammy awards.

He spawned a school of "Bill Evans style" or "Evans inspired" pianists, who include some of the best known artists of our day, including Michel Petrucciani, Andy Laverne, Richard Beirach, Enrico Pieranunzi and Warren Bernhardt. His inescapable influence on the very sound of jazz piano has touched virtually everybody of prominence in the field after him (as well as most of his contemporaries), and he remains a monumental model for jazz piano students everywhere, even inspiring a newsletter devoted solely to his music and influence.

Yet Bill Evans was a person who was painfully self-effacing, especially in the beginning of his career. Tall and handsome, literate and highly articulate about his art, he had a "confidence problem" as he called it, while at the same time devoted himself fanatically to the minute details of his music. He believed he lacked talent, so had to make up with it by intense work, but to keep the whole churning enterprise afloat he took on a heroin addiction for most of his adult life. The result was sordid living conditions, a brilliant career, two failed marriages (the first ending in a dramatic suicide), and an early death.

Origins

Bill Evans was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1929, of a devout Russian Orthodox mother and an alcoholic father of Welsh origins, who managed a golf course. Evans' Russian side accounts for the special feeling many of his Russian fans have for him that he is one of them. Bill received his first musical training in his mother's church; both parents were highly musical. He also held a lifelong attachment to the game of golf.

Bill began studying piano at age six, and since his parents wanted him to know more than one instrument, he took up the violin the following year and the flute at age 13. He became very proficient on the flute, although he hardly played it in his later years. Proficiency at these instruments in which great emphasis is laid on tonal expressiveness, might have encouraged Evans to seek the similar gradations of nuance on piano. He did, of course, thereby extending the expressive range of jazz piano.

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Album Review

Bill Evans: The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited

Read "The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Bill Evans' The Legendary Trio at Birdland 1960 is a seminal recording that captures a fleeting moment of jazz brilliance, immortalizing the profound synergy of Evans with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. Recorded live at the iconic Birdland Jazz Club in New York City, this album is a vivid snapshot of a group at the peak of its creative powers, navigating the complexities of jazz standards and original compositions with unparalleled grace and fluidity. The trio's ...

8
Album Review

Bill Evans: The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited

Read "The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited" reviewed by John Eyles


Keen-eyed Bill Evans aficionados will know that this album is the pianist's third in the Revisited series by ezz-thetics, following At The Village Vanguard 1961 Revisited and the double-CD Duos with Jim Hall & Trios '64 & '65 Revisited, both released in 2023. “The Legendary Trio" refers to the threesome of Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, the same group that recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1961. The Legendary Trio was brought to a tragic end ten ...

15
Multiple Reviews

More OJC Magic: Masterpieces from Bill Evans and Dave Brubeck

Read "More OJC Magic: Masterpieces from Bill Evans and Dave Brubeck" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


Although they might have been one of the last concerns to significantly ramp up their release schedules when the vinyl renaissance hit its stride, Concord has been making up for lost time with several series now part of their Craft imprimatur. At the end of 2023, they announced a new audiophile reissue series titled after the legendary catalog started by Fantasy in 1983. These new Original Jazz Classics (OJC) start with everything that was loved about the original series while ...

7
Liner Notes

Bill Evans: The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited

Read "Bill Evans: The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited" reviewed by Chris May


Thank you, Boris Rose. The obsessive New York jazz maverick set out to record every musician of note who performed in the city's clubs from the mid 1940s through the mid 1970s. He must have come close to succeeding. His vast accumulated horde of tapes--today presumed more or less safe, stacked floor to ceiling in a sizeable Bronx basement under the guardianship of his daughter Elaine--is a treasure beyond mere monetary value. Annotated but uncatalogued, there are many hundreds, perhaps ...

8
Album Review

Bill Evans: Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964)

Read "Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964)" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Maybe it is and maybe it isn't as historical in scope as some of the previous ten archival Bill Evans releases from that master of jazz discovery, Zev Feldman, and Evans' estate, but Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964) is sure fire proof you got nothing but the best on any given night at any given gig by Evans and his cohorts. From the get go, this set--recorded by Evans, bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker at Danish ...

5
Liner Notes

Bill Evans: Duos With Jim Hall & Trios '64 & '65 Revisited

Read "Bill Evans: Duos With Jim Hall & Trios '64 & '65 Revisited" reviewed by Chris May


Although the evidence is circumstantial, it is more than possible that Bill Evans' collaborations with Jim Hall came about through proximity to George Russell. Even Alan Douglas, the producer of the duo's first album, did not claim credit for the liaison; and Douglas, who the same year brought together Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach, was not shy about coming forward with similar (questionable) claims. Evans was the first to meet Russell when, in late 1955, ...

18
Multiple Reviews

OJC Rides Again: Bill Evans & Mal Waldron

Read "OJC Rides Again: Bill Evans & Mal Waldron" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


Although it wasn't coined specifically for the collection, the idea of an “embarrassment of riches" is perfectly suited to describe the vast holdings of the Fantasy Records firm. Starting out as a small west coast concern, their success with the group Creedence Clearwater Revival allowed them to expand their operations in 1971. The address of Tenth and Parker in Berkeley is synonymous with some of the greatest jazz ever recorded. In 1982, Fantasy took advantage of their vault ...

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2

Recording

Pianist Michael Wolff Guests with Bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and Drummer Mike Clark on Evocative Tribute Album, 'Letter to Bill Evans'

Pianist Michael Wolff Guests with Bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and Drummer Mike Clark on Evocative Tribute Album, 'Letter to Bill Evans'

Source: Lydia Liebman Promotions

For their seventh outing together as a close-knit, collaborative rhythm tandem, bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and drummer Mike Clark tapped pianist Michael Wolff as third man in their ongoing trio adventures. Wolff, who had previously appeared with Dorsey and Clark on 2020’s Play Sgt. Pepper, was indeed the perfect choice to complete the triumvirate on this heartfelt tribute to the late, great pianist-composer known for his contributions to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue as well as his hugely influential trio ...

1

Recording

Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby

Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Bill Evans performed his composition Waltz for Debby at dozens of clubs and concert halls and recorded it several times in the studio between 1955 and 1980. In my opinion, he aced it only once. Waltz for Debby sounds deceptively easy to play but it isn't. Having played Bill Evans transcriptions in my teens, I can tell you that it's loaded with complex passages that are easy to rush, trip over or simply miss the right feel. Which was true ...

Video / DVD

Bill Evans: Here's That Rainy Day

Bill Evans: Here's That Rainy Day

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

I've always loved Bill Evans's solo interpretation of Here's That Rainy Day from Alone in 1968. He opens with enormous sensitivity and delivers a measured ballad reading, followed by rising intensity and swing as the tempo quickens. The master take that appears on the album never fails to thrill me. Yet despite his beauty, Evans didn't bother to hold onto it like some other songs. Perhaps he felt that the Alone version was as good as he was ever going ...

1

Video / DVD

Bill Evans: On Green Dolphin Street

Bill Evans: On Green Dolphin Street

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

To the best of my knowledge, there are only 10 known recordings of Bill Evans playing On Green Dolphin Street. Composed in 1947 by Bronisław Kaper (with lyrics by Ned Washington), the song was written for the film Green Dolphin Street, which was based on the 1944 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Goudge. The song suited Evans perfectly. Here are all 10 renditions: Evans first recorded the jazz standard in 1958 with the Miles Davis Sextet, a spectacular ...

Video / DVD

Two Bill Evans Videos Recently Uploaded

Two Bill Evans Videos Recently Uploaded

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Yesterday, the autumn sky in New York was bumper-to-bumper with billowy clouds in all shades of white and slate grey. No rain, just a sea of moody cumulus formations muscling their way east across Manhattan. A perfect day to write with Bill Evans playing. Which led me to three videos of Evans—two that went up at YouTube recently and another from Facebook that Dave Thompson found and sent along: Here's the Bill Evans Trio in 1964, with Evans on piano, ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bill Evans

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bill Evans' birthday today!

Who Was Bill Evans? Bill Evans, one of the most influential and tragic figures of the post-bop jazz piano, was known for his highly nuanced touch, the clarity of the feeling content of his music and his reform of the chord voicing system pianists used. He recorded over fifty albums as leader and received five Grammy awards. He spawned a school of “Bill Evans style" or “Evans inspired" pianists, who include ...

1

TV / Film

Bill Evans and Tony Bennett on TV

Bill Evans and Tony Bennett on TV

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

By October 1976, Bill Evans and Tony Bennett had recorded two albums of duets for Tony's short-lived Improv label. I've always had mixed feelings about the recordings. For me, it's strange to hear Evans as second fiddle to anyone and even stranger to hear Tony having to defer, musically, to his accompanist. But strangest of all, perhaps, is the contrasting personalities of Evans, the melancholy introvert, playing against Tony, the sunny-side-up optimist. For a long time, I've felt the two ...

3

Recording

Bassist-Producer Frank Swart Releases 'Soundtrack For A Film Without Pictures' Featuring Gary Bartz, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Bill Evans, Warren Wolf And Idris Ackamoor

Bassist-Producer Frank Swart Releases 'Soundtrack For A Film Without Pictures' Featuring Gary Bartz, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Bill Evans, Warren Wolf And Idris Ackamoor

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

In his wide-ranging career, bassist, guitarist, arranger, composer, producer, and engineer Frank Swart has contributed to countless sessions covering a wide range of music, from rock and funk to psychedelic acid jazz. In recent times, under the Funkwrench Blues name, he has created and produced 146 singles (at the time of this writing) that have been released once every two weeks, featuring such major artists as Mike Stern, Charlie Hunter, John Medeski, Oz Noy, Fred Wesley, and the late Lucky ...

Video / DVD

Color Video: Bill Evans in Copenhagen, 1970

Color Video: Bill Evans in Copenhagen, 1970

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Earlier this month, when I reviewed the newly released album Bill Evans: Treasures (Elemental Music), I wrote about the tranquilizing affect that Denmark seemed to have on Evans. I pointed out that many of his best live recordings were made there, especially between 1965 and 1970. As you listen to Treasures, you can hear that Evans was thoroughly relaxed and it shows in his measured playing, delicate attack and lyrical optimism. Earlier this week, Dave Thompson brought to my attention ...

Video / DVD

New Bill Evans on YouTube

New Bill Evans on YouTube

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Four Bill Evans live recordings have surfaced over the past few months on YouTube. Since the last two weeks of the year are often contemplative, these clips should be most welcome:  Here's the Bill Evans Trio, with Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Alan Dawson on drums, playing Beautiful Love in Denmark in 1965. This went up last month... Here's the Bill Evans Trio at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, R.I., on July 2, 1967, with Eddie Gomez on ...

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piano
Gabriele D'Angela
guitar, electric
Maria Schneider
composer / conductor
Harry Skoler
clarinet
Chuck Israels
bass, acoustic
Lyle Mays
keyboards
Lisa Rich
vocals
Todd Mosby
guitar
Lee Barbour
guitar
Eldad Tarmu
vibraphone
David Witham
keyboards
Fred Haas
saxophone
Matt Finley
flugelhorn
Arne Hiorth
flugelhorn
Ken Brown
guitar
Oscar Penas
guitar
Billy Denk
guitar
Jacopo Ferrazza
bass, acoustic
Ed Johnson
guitar and vocals
Teri Roiger
vocals
Steve Homan
guitar
Pete Sklaroff
guitar, electric
Pepa Niebla
vocals
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vocals
Rotem Sivan
guitar
Tim Fox
piano
Chris Hall
trumpet
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saxophone
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band / ensemble / orchestra
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guitar
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percussion
Benny Weinbeck
keyboards
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arranger
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trumpet
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piano and vocals
Christian Doering
guitar, electric
Jon Dreyer
bass, acoustic
Álvaro Dinzey
arranger
Dominik Schürmann
bass, acoustic
Gary Kelly
bass, electric
Paula Maya
piano and vocals
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piano
Emi Takada
vocals
LJ Folk
guitar and vocals
Jesse Dietschi
bass, acoustic
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organ, Hammond B3
PLS.trio
piano
Julian Hartwell
keyboards
Klecha-Fauré
vibraphone
Katy Jungmann
saxophone
Paul Tafoya
trumpet
Jean Lenke
vocals
Ryan Baker
vocals
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band / ensemble / orchestra
Noa Levy
vocals
Ulli Juenemann
saxophone, alto
Tim Bruer
piano
Jun Iida
trumpet
Wilma Baan
vocals
LILLY
vocals
Bruce Phares
bass, acoustic
Mike De Masi
bass, acoustic
Michael Neff
trumpet
David Post
vocals
Paul Ward
piano
Vin Venezia
guitar
Shambhu
guitar, acoustic
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piano
Mavis Pan
piano
José Canha
bass, acoustic
Pete Coco
bass, acoustic
Richard Pavlidis
saxophone, tenor
Adam Ahuja
keyboards
roman gomez
bandoneon
Jazz Interlude
band / ensemble / orchestra
Mary Amaral
vocals
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piano
Uffe Steen
guitar, electric
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guitar
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bass, acoustic
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accordion
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guitar
Daniel Tamayo
guitar, electric
Jared Forth
guitar
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piano
Tibor Debreceni
guitar, electric
Ken Krueger
guitar
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band / ensemble / orchestra
Jabu Nkosi
keyboards
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guitar
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guitar
Joe Carson
vibraphone
Rohan Buch
saxophone
Lucas Amorim
vibraphone
John Hench
bass, acoustic
Randy Resnick
guitar, electric
Darin Brown
piano and vocals
Hallgrim Bratberg
guitar, electric
German Lema
organ, Hammond B3
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composer / conductor
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vocals
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