Melody, harmony and rhythmic sophistication - the 'introverted' sound of a jazz genius....
Bill Evans sprang to fame as the piano player on most of the tracks on Kind of Blue the legendary Miles Davis album
from the 1950's. After that he continued to have a stellar career of his own despite 'health problems' which is a jazz term for drug addiction. His piano playing reflects his training in both the jazz and classical traditions and combines
harmonic sophistication, exquisite melodic sensitivity, virtuosity and it always swings. I can never hear too much of this man. Bill also manages to make smoking look really cool but this was before the first Surgeon General's report in 1964 so we can make some allowances. A great place to start listening to Bill Evans is his early trio with Scott La Faro on bass and Paul Motian on drums. This trio are said to have had an ESP-like musical communication and certainly set the benchmark for jazz trios of the late 50s and early sixties. Sadly, Scott LaFaro died at a young age in a car accident and Evans took years to really recover emotionally.
from the 1950's. After that he continued to have a stellar career of his own despite 'health problems' which is a jazz term for drug addiction. His piano playing reflects his training in both the jazz and classical traditions and combines
harmonic sophistication, exquisite melodic sensitivity, virtuosity and it always swings. I can never hear too much of this man. Bill also manages to make smoking look really cool but this was before the first Surgeon General's report in 1964 so we can make some allowances. A great place to start listening to Bill Evans is his early trio with Scott La Faro on bass and Paul Motian on drums. This trio are said to have had an ESP-like musical communication and certainly set the benchmark for jazz trios of the late 50s and early sixties. Sadly, Scott LaFaro died at a young age in a car accident and Evans took years to really recover emotionally.
