Amazing Bill Evans music playlist: 30 tracks (Best jazz collection)

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Track List:

0:00:00 Bill Evans Trio – My Foolish Heart

0:04:56 Bill Evans Trio – Like Someone In Love

0:11:22 Bill Evans Trio – When I Fall In Love

0:16:15 Bill Evans Trio, Stan Getz – But Beautiful

0:22:01 Bill Evans Trio – Polka Dots And Moonbeams

0:27:01 Bill Evans – I Loves You Porgy

0:33:04 Bill Evans Trio – I Wish I Knew

0:37:45 Bill Evans – The Peacocks

0:43:58 Bill Evans Trio – Young And Foolish

0:49:51 Bill Evans, Bob Brookmeyer – As Time Goes By

0:56:46 Bill Evans Trio – Waltz For Debby

1:03:48 Bill Evans Trio – Alice In Wonderland

1:12:24 Bill Evans Trio – Autumn Leaves

1:18:22 Bill Evans Trio – Danny Boy

1:22:06 Bill Evans – Here’s That Rainy Day

1:27:28 Bill Evans – Midnight Mood

1:32:46 Bill Evans – Emily

1:37:39 Bill Evans – Peace Piece

1:44:20 Bill Evans – Never Let Me Go

1:58:47 Bill Evans, Jim Hall – Skating In Central Park

2:04:12 Bill Evans, Jim Hall – Romain

2:09:37 Bill Evans – Love Theme From ‘Spartacus’

2:14:47 Bill Evans Trio – Spring Is Here

2:19:53 Bill Evans Trio – My Romance

2:21:55 Bill Evans Trio – I’ll See You Again

2:25:51 Bill Evans Trio – Come Rain Or Come Shine

2:29:11 Tony Bennett, Bill Evans – You Must Believe In Spring

2:35:03 Bill Evans Trio – Nardis

2:40:55 Bill Evans – Soiree

2:44:22 Bill Evans – Comrade Conrad

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Bill Evans biography

Bill Evans ( Plainfield , August 16 , 1929 – Fort Lee , September 15 , 1980, born William John Evans , was an American jazz pianist and composer.

Bill Evans was born in New Jersey to Harry L. Evans, born in Wales and Mary Saroka Evans, born in Rusyne, both lovers of music.

They make him study piano and, as a second instrument, violin (which he will give up after two years) and then flute . When he was a teenager he began to be interested in jazz , and in particular by Bud Powell, Nat King Cole , George Shearing and Lennie Tristano; he plays in orchestras as a local amateur .

Bill Evans continued his musical studies at Southern Louisiana College, graduating in 1950.

After a brief stint in clarinetist Herbie Fields’ orchestra, he spent three years in the Army as a flautist , stationed at Fort Sheridan. It will preserve for a long time a bitter memory of these years.

Demobilized in 1954, he began playing and recording with New York’s minor orchestras (the best known being the “variety” orchestra led by Jerry Wald), while taking composition classes at the Mannes School of Music.

First recordings

In 1955, he was noticed by the composer and theoretician of the “lydian concept” George Russell who invited him to record the album The Jazz Workshop with his “jazz smalltet” (1956) and then the title All about Rosie on the collective album Brandeis Jazz Festival (1957). Russell and Evans would later reunite for other albums: New York, NY (1959), Jazz in the Space Age (1960), Living Time (1972).

In September 1956, Bill Evans recorded under his own name, for the Riverside label (with producer Orrin Keepnews), the trio New Jazz Conceptions with Teddy Kotick on double bass and Paul Motian on drums. If Bill Evans had not yet found the interaction that will characterize his approach to the jazz trio, he already demonstrates his innovative harmonizing technique on this album.

After this album and his work with Russell made him known, Bill Evans became an in-demand studio musician and many musicians called on his services, including Tony Scott, Don Elliott, Eddie Costa, Jimmy Knepper, Helen Merrill, Sahib Shihab and Charles Mingus .

Alongside John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley ‘ regular sextet, Between February and November 1958, he was part of Miles Davis . In 1959, the trumpeter called him back for the recording of the Kind of Blue album . Miles Davis has always recognized the importance of Evans’ contribution to this emblematic record of modal jazz .

After this interlude with Miles Davis , Bill Evans resumed an intense career as a sideman – which did not stop until 1963, the date of his contract with Verve – recording, among others, with Cannonball Adderley , Michel Legrand , Art Farmer, Chet Baker , Lee Konitz , John Lewis, Oliver Nelson, Kai Winding , JJ Johnson and Bob Brookmeyer.

At the same time, although he did not have a regular trio, he recorded records with this formula under his own name: Everybody digs Bill Evans (1958) and On Green Dolphin Street (1958 – unreleased at the time).

1960s

In 1959, he formed a regular trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. The three partners, breaking with the tradition in which the double bass player and the drummer were limited to an accompanying role, dedicate themselves to an authentic “three-way improvisation”. It is this “interaction” – this constant synergy between the three musicians – that makes this trio specific and modern.

The three recorded four albums: Portrait in Jazz (1959), Explorations (1961) and especially two legendary albums from the same session at the Village Vanguard in New York: Waltz for Debby and Sunday at the Village Vanguard.

Scott LaFaro died in a car accident just ten days after recording these records.

Deeply affected by the death of LaFaro, Bill Evans, although he continues his career as an accompanist (albums as an accompanist for Mark Murphy , Herbie Mann, Tadd Dameron , Benny Golson …), does not record anything as a trio during almost a year Under his name, he recorded, in duo with Jim Hall, the album Undercurrent .

It wasn’t until May 1962 that he found himself in the studio as a trio, this time with Chuck Israels on double bass and Paul Motian on drums. What comes out of these sessions are the albums How My Heart Sings! and Moon Beams .

In late 1962 – early 1963, he recorded his last albums for the Riverside label: Interplay (as a quintet with Freddie Hubbard and Jim Hall), Loose Blues (as a quintet with Zoot Sims and Jim Hall, unreleased at the time ), At Shelly’s Manne-Hole (as a trio with Chuck Israels and Larry Bunker), and 13 solo tracks ( The Solo Sessions: Volume 1 & 2 – unedited at the time). Breaking album time with his usual trio, he recorded in 1962 for Verve trio album , while still under contract with Riverside, the Empathy of which Shelly Manne was co-leader.

Evans signs with Verve-MGM. For Verve , Bill Evans will continue to record with his usual trios, but Creed Taylor, then producer of the label, will push him to diversify his production: albums with other stars of the brand ( Stan Getz , Gary McFarland…), solo, re-recording, with symphony orchestra…

Between 1962 and 1969, the personnel of Evans’ “regular” trio was reworked quite frequently. Between 1962 and 1965, Chuck Israels was occasionally replaced on double bass by Gary Peacock ( Trio ’64 ) and veteran Teddy Kotick. From 1966 and for 11 years, Eddie Gómez will occupy the position of double bass player.

The successive drummers were Larry Bunker ( Live ( 1964 ), Trio ’65 ), Arnold Wise ( Bill Evans at Town Hall , 1966), Philly Joe Jones ( California, Here I Come , 1967), Jack DeJohnette ( Bill Evans at Montreux Jazz ). Festival , 1968) and, more briefly, Joe Hunt and John Dentz. In 1969, drummer Marty Morell joined the trio, remaining until 1975.

During this period, on European tours, Evans sometimes travels without his usual accompanists and then turns to “local” musicians: Palle Danielsson, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Rune Carlsson (1965), Alex Riel (1966)…

During his Verve period , Evans recorded with different formulas than his “usual trio”. He recorded Alone (1968) . He re-recorded Conversations with Myself (1963), then Further Conversations with Myself (1967). With string orchestra (conducted by Claus Ogerman) and trio, Bill Evans trio with symphony orchestra (1965). With other musicians, Gary McFarland (1962), Stan Getz (1964), Monica Zetterlund ( Waltz for Debby , 1964), Jim Hall ( Intermodulation , 1966), Shelly Manne ( A Simple Matter of Conviction – 1966), Jeremy Steig ( What’s New , 1969).

Here ends the “Verve Period”, with the album From Left to Right (1970), a recording on the border between light music and jazz, where Bill Evans, accompanied by a string orchestra, uses the electric piano for the first time ” Fender Rhodes “.

It should be noted that Evans’ last albums for Verve are no longer produced by Creed Taylor but by Helen Keane (Evans’ artistic agent since 1962). From the end of the contract with Verve , it is Helen Keane who will act as “coach” of the pianist’s career. It will be the producer of the records that Evans will record for Columbia , CTI Records, Fantasy and Warner Bros.

1970s

Between 1969 and 1975, Bill Evans performed mainly with Eddie Gómez and Marty Morell. This trio recorded many albums: among others, Jazzhouse , You’re Gonna Hear From Me (1969), Montreux II (1970), The Bill Evans Album (1971), The Tokyo concert , Half Moon Bay (1973), Since We Met , Re: Person I Knew, Blue in green (1974).

During this period, Bill Evans participates in two recordings quite far removed from his usual productions: Living Time , an experimental composition for piano and large ensemble by George Russell (1972) and Symbiosis (1974), a concerto for piano and orchestra by “Third stream music” composed by Claus Ogerman. He also recorded at this time two duet albums with Eddie Gómez ( Intuition – 1974, Montreux III – 1975) and one solo ( Alone (Again) – 1975). Evans also recorded two sessions ( The Tony Bennett: Bill Evans Album – 1975, Together again – 1976) with crooner Tony Bennett . Finally, Evans signs his last record in re-recording, New Conversations (1978).

In 1976, Marty Morell was replaced on drums by the understated but subtle Eliot Zigmund. This will remain the last rhythm that will be perfectly integrated into the pianist’s universe. The trio thus composed finds a second wind and records I Will Say Goodbye (1977, published in 1980, after the death of the pianist) and the elegiac You Must Believe in Spring (1977, published in 1981). The three men also recorded Crosscurrents (1977) with Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh.

Eddie Gómez left Evans in 1978. After trying numerous double bass players (Michael Moore, Michel Donato…), Evans hired the young Marc Johnson. and Larry Schneider was recorded It was around this time that the Affinity quintet album with Toots Thielemans . In 1979, he reunited with Larry Schneider but this time with Tom Harrell , for another quintet album, We will meet again . For a brief period, “veteran” Joe Philly Jones returned to fill in as drummer, before Evans hired another young musician, Joe LaBarbera.

There are no studio recordings of this definitive trio. On the other hand, it was recorded a lot in discos or in concerts ( Homecoming , The Paris concert. ed. 1 & 2 , Turn out the stars: the final recordings of Village Vanguard , The Last Waltz , Consecration …). All these recordings were only published after the death of the pianist.

The music of this trio is the “swan song” of the pianist. He performed for the penultimate time in August 1980 at the Molde Jazz Festival.

On September 15, 1980, at the age of fifty-one, with poorly treated hepatitis , his body exhausted by addiction too long a drug ( heroin in the 60s and 70s, cocaine at the end of his life), Bill Evans died as a result of internal bleeding.

Discography

Bill Evans’ discography is particularly important. In addition to “official” recordings for labels such as Riverside, Verve , CTI, Columbia , Fantasy and Warner Bros. Records , there are a significant number of more or less official albums.
Musical compositions

B minor waltz
Bill's belle (àlies Just a beginner in love )
Bill's hit tune
Blue in Green (co-author Miles Davis )
C minor blues chase
Carnival
Catch the wind (àlies Get yourself another fool )
Children's play song
Chromatic tune
Comrade Conrad (aka Theme for Crest )
Displacement
Epilogue
Five
For Nenette (alias In April )
Fudgesicle built for two
Fun ride
Funkallero
Funny man
G waltz
Here's something to you
Hollywood (written with Claus Ogerman )
Interplay
It's love, it's Christmas
It must be love *
Knit for Mary F.
Laurie (alias The dream )
Letter To Evan
Loose blues
Maxine
My bells
NYC's: no lark
One for Helen
Only child
The opener
Orbit (alias Unless it's you )
Peace Piece
Peri's scope
Prologue
Re: person I knew
Remembering the rain
Show type tune (alias Tune for a lyric )
A simple matter of conviction
Since we met
Song for Helen
Story line
Sugar plum * (coautor John Court)
Theme: what you gave (àlies Don't count your dreams till they come true! )
There came you
These Things Called Changes
34 skidoo
Tiffany
Time remembered
Turn out the stars
Twelve tone tune (alias TTT )
Twelve tone tune two (aka TTTT )
The two lonely people (àlies The man and the woman )
Very early
Walkin' up
Waltz for Debby
Waltz in Eb
We will meet again
Yet ne'er broken
Your story