Bill Evans

Waltz for Debby

Bill Evans · 1961

Sunday at the Village Vanguard

Bill Evans · 1961

The June 1961 Village Vanguard sessions captured the peak of two years of conversational jazz the three had developed together. Ten days later, LaFaroScott LaFaroスコット・ラファロ died in a car accident at 25.

— How My Heart Sings, Peter Pettinger, 1998

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis · 1959

Kind of BlueKind of BlueMiles Davis · 1959 (1959) was recorded almost entirely at sight. MilesMiles Davisマイルス・デイヴィス showed musicians only the skeletal structures beforehand — no one knew what they were playing until the day. Bill EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス's liner notes defined how to hear the record.

— Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece, Ashley Kahn, 2000

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis · 1959

Wynton KellyWynton Kellyウィントン・ケリー appears on only one track from Kind of BlueKind of BlueMiles Davis · 1959 — 'Freddie Freeloader' — while Bill EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス played the rest. Kelly's blues-drenched phrasing offers a vivid contrast to Evans's impressionism, and that single track remains one of his most celebrated performances.

— Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece, Ashley Kahn, 2000

Scott LaFaroScott LaFaroスコット・ラファロ rewrote the role of the bass in jazz. Before him, bass largely kept time with a walking line; Scott LaFaroScott LaFaroスコット・ラファロ turned it into an independent melodic voice in contrapuntal dialogue. He died in a car accident eleven days after the Village Vanguard recordings, at age 25.

— Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Peter Pettinger, 1998

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis · 1959

Jimmy CobbJimmy Cobbジミー・コブ is the sole drummer on Kind of BlueKind of BlueMiles Davis · 1959 (1959), playing all five tracks. Replacing Philly Joe JonesPhilly Joe Jonesフィリー・ジョー・ジョーンズ in the transitional period between Miles's first and second great quintets, he brought a lighter, more swinging approach.

— Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece, Ashley Kahn, 2000

October 1966, Munch Museum, Oslo. Recorded by NRK with Eddie Gomez and Alex Riel — 'Very Early,' 'Stella By Starlight,' 'Nardis.' Evans finding a new breath in the post-Scott LaFaroScott LaFaroスコット・ラファロ era.

— Bill Evans Trio — Oslo 1966, 1966

Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Bill Evans · 1958

Everybody Digs Bill EvansEverybody Digs Bill EvansBill Evans · 1958 (December 1958) features the unedited 14-minute improvisation "Peace Piece." The cover carried endorsements from Cannonball AdderleyCannonball Adderleyキャノンボール・アダレイ and George Shearing — a critical seal of approval.

— Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Peter Pettinger, 1998

Explorations

Bill Evans · 1961

ExplorationsExplorationsBill Evans · 1961 (February 1961) was the second Bill EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス Trio album. The conversational interplay with Scott LaFaroScott LaFaroスコット・ラファロ and Paul MotianPaul Motianポール・モチアン approached its mature form — though Pettinger notes the trio had been arguing right before the session.

— Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Peter Pettinger, 1998

In 1974, Bill EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス recorded the orchestral work Symbiosis with classical composer Claus Ogerman — a fusion of improvisation and composition for piano and orchestra. Evans called it the recording he was proudest of in his late years.

— Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Peter Pettinger, 1998

From 1966 to 1977, Bill EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス's regular bassist was Eddie Gomez — the longest-lasting trio after Scott LaFaroScott LaFaroスコット・ラファロ's death. Their dialogue formed the core of Evans's late-period sound for over a decade.

— Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Peter Pettinger, 1998

Bill EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス decisively shaped the next generation of pianists — including Keith JarrettKeith Jarrettキース・ジャレット and Herbie HancockHerbie Hancockハービー・ハンコック. His notion of "making the piano sing" and his approach to harmony became the benchmark for modern jazz piano.

— Bill Evans, Wikipedia, 2024

Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Bill Evans · 1958

The cover of Everybody Digs Bill EvansEverybody Digs Bill EvansBill Evans · 1958 carries an endorsement from Cannonball AdderleyCannonball Adderleyキャノンボール・アダレイ: 'I dig him. He's a rare talent.' The blurb helped push the still-unknown Bill EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス into wider recognition.

— Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Peter Pettinger, 1998

In spring 1958 Red GarlandRed Garlandレッド・ガーランド left Miles DavisMiles Davisマイルス・デイヴィス over disputes about pay and repertoire, and Bill EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス took his place. The swap proved decisive in preparing the modal sound that would soon define the band.

— Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece, Ashley Kahn, 2000

"A sound like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall" — Miles's description of EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス in his autobiography.

— Statement stmt-0006

"We were trying to have a conversation with three voices. Instead of one accompanying, three voices each speak." — EvansBill Evansビル・エヴァンス on his trio with LaFaro and Motian.

— Statement stmt-evans-conversational

The pianist on Kind of Blue (1959) is Bill Evans — but he had already quit the band months before the sessions. The regular pianist by then was someone else; Evans was called back just for this date. The most famous record in jazz was played by a man who had already left.

— Statement stmt-0006

"We were trying to have a conversation with three voices. Instead of one accompanying, three voices each speak."

On the philosophy of his trio with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian.

'a sound like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall'

Miles's description of Bill Evans's sound, recounted in his autobiography.

Miles: The Autobiography

1989

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