by James Channing Shaw
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| Bill Evans (1929-1980) |
Who could possibly come up with the best one or two performances or recordings by legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans? He made over seventy albums as a leader and performed thousands of concerts during his career. I can, however, share my experiences with the man, and propose a few must-listen tracks.
I probably saw Bill Evans more than ten times, mostly in small clubs, sometimes with twenty-five people in the audience, talking and clinking glasses throughout the show. Two memorable concerts stand out, one at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village in the spring of 1972, and the other in April, 1979 in Tacoma , Washington
My friend Dan and I sat alone at a table at the front of The Village Gate, about five feet from the piano. We had arrived so early to get good seats we were the only ones in the club. No cover; one drink minimum. While Eddie Gomez was setting up his bass and music stand, Marty Morrell came in, spoke quietly to Gomez and left the club again. We discovered that Morrell had locked his drums in the trunk of his car and wouldn’t be playing that evening. Bill Evans and Eddie Gomez decided to do the first set as a duo. No tune specifically stood out as a best performance that night, but the duo format created something fresh and exciting. They played off each other in a way I had never heard. I like to think that we witnessed the serendipitous start of what became two duo albums, the studio recording INTUITION (1974), and the live performance album MONTREUX III (1975). Invitation off the former, and Elsa off the latter are as good as jazz interpretations get.
The second stand-out concert in 1979 took place in Tacoma , Washington John son on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. They played very well, but Bill Evans uncharacteristically schmoozed with the audience and introduced every tune. Never before had I heard him utter a word. At the end of the night, he picked up the microphone and said, “You can say that, on the night of April 21st, 1979, you heard Bill Evans speak.”
Bill Evans must-listen tracks:
From Miles Davis’s KIND OF BLUE (1959), listen to Bill Evans’s piano accompaniment and solo on So What. It is understated, impressionistic, a series of cluster chords and modal intervals of 4ths and 2nds in which the silence between the notes is as important as the notes.
Peace Piece, off the Riverside album PEACE PIECES (RS-3042), recorded 1958, released 1969, is another example of the impressionistic solo piano playing of Evans in the late 50s and early 60s.
BILL EVANS AT TOWN HALL (1966) is a beautiful album. Listen to Solo—In Memory of His Father, in which he improvises on Turn Out The Stars with tender, lyrical playing like no other jazz player has ever played.
BILL EVANS, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT (1970) is produced with orchestra and contains some gorgeous tunes. Listen to The Dolphin, Before and After for a taste of his flowing right hand and tasteful comping with his left.
From THE BILL EVANS ALBUM (1971), listen to Waltz For Debbie. He wrote the tune and recorded it many times. Every version is excellent, but this one has a degree of control and accuracy with an intensity that is special, enhanced by superb studio recording techniques. There is a solo on the Rhodes piano, but the final acoustic piano solo on the tune is as good as Bill Evans has ever played.
My absolute favorite, from SINCE WE MET, is a trio version of Turn Out The Stars from a Village Vanguard live recording in 1974. The solo version in the TOWN HALL album is excellent, but this one is the best playing I have ever heard from Bill Evans and from the trio. There is no bass solo to change the mood (sorry, Eddie), so the energy remains with the piano, building in rhythm and intensity with each chorus. Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell fall right in behind Bill. It is formidable playing with massive control and musicianship.
Obviously there is much more for you to explore on your own. Lovers of jazz still mourn the loss of Bill Evans, a gentle soul and masterful player.
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