Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jim Norton Collective: Time Remembered: Compositions of Bill Evans

7

Jim Norton Collective: Time Remembered: Compositions of Bill Evans

By

View read count
Jim Norton Collective: Time Remembered: Compositions of Bill Evans
The late Bill Evans was so celebrated a pianist that even some partisans may overlook the fact that he was also a splendid composer with a number of oft-revisited jazz themes to his credit. Saxophonist / arranger Jim Norton hasn't forgotten, and has entrusted Time Remembered, his debut album as leader of the Jim Norton Collective, to music written and sometimes performed by Evans (with one exception, to be explained in due course).

These fourteen songs are described by Andrew Gilbert in his brief liner note as "overlooked treasures," which may account for the omission of Evans' best-known composition, "Waltz for Debby" (no other reason is given). What is encompassed is indeed gem-like, from the playful fugue "Fudgesickle Built for Four" (performed twice, in disparate versions) to the time-shifting, brass-infused "34 Skidoo" and everything in between. As implied, one of the songs—"Journey to Recife"—is an anomaly, as it wasn't written by Bill Evans but was attributed to him for years, having actually been composed by Richard L. Evans. As Norton's group had been playing it for more than three decades as a "Bill Evans tune," the decision was made to keep it in the album and give Richard Evans his overdue credit. Good choice.

Evans, who swung as hard as he had to, could also write pretty, as witness "Time Remembered," "Laurie" or "Comrade Conrad" (the last a jingle designed for a Crest toothpaste commercial). The flutes are especially engaging on "Conrad," while "Fudgesickle"s' reprise, opening at a far more deliberate tempo, bears scant resemblance to the album's sunny curtain-raiser until more than three minutes have elapsed, when merriment sets in. The twelve-member Collective experiences no problem with that, and in fact handles every challenge as to the manor born. Norton, for his part, inscribes charts that are consistently sharp and tasteful.

Norton solos on clarinet ("Walkin' Up") and baritone (the adventurous "Twelve Tone Tune") while bassist John Shiflett is featured on "Time Remembered," guitarist Scott Sorkin on "Bill's Hit Tune," tenor Charlie McCarthy on "Laurie." Others who unleash their weapons and cleave the target include alto / soprano Tim Devine, tenor / flutist Kris Storm, trombonists Joel Behrman and Jeff Cressman, trumpeters John Worley and Louis Fasman. Drummer Jason Lewis anchors the Collective's rock-solid rhythm section. This is music that should be heard more often, deftly performed by an ensemble with no discernible weaknesses. Well worth seeking out.

Track Listing

Fudgesickle Built for Four; Time Remembered; Journey to Recife; Five; NYC’s No Lark; Interplay; Walkin’ Up; Very Early; Bill’s Hit Tune; Peri’s Scope; Twelve Tone Tune; Laurie; Comrade Conrad; Fudgesickle Built for Four (Reprise); 34 Skidoo.

Personnel

Jim Norton: leader, baritone sax, bass flute, clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, bassoon; Louis Fasman: trumpet, flugelhorn; John Worley Jr.: trumpet, flugelhorn; Tim Devine: alto, soprano sax, piccolo, flute; Kristen Strom: tenor sax, flute, alto flute; Charlie McCarthy: tenor sax, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet; Cathleen Torres: French horn; Joel Behrman: trombone; Jeff Cressman: trombone, bass trombone; Scott Sorkin: guitar; John Shifflett: bass; Jason Lewis: drums.

Album information

Title: Time Remembered: Compositions of Bill Evans | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Origin Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.