Evans met George Russell during his tenure with Lucy Reed. #pic #photo #photography #picoftheday #photooftheday #instapic #instaphoto, A post shared by ᗩᑎᗪᖇEᗩ ᒪIᗷOᖇI (@andrea_libori_drums) on Apr 21, 2019 at 8:41am PDT. I'm of a certain period, a certain evolution. The couple had problems booking in hotels during Evans's gigs, since most of them did not allow inter-racial couples. Evans said, "You don't understand. William John "Bill" Evans (, August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who mostly worked in a trio setting.

With this group Evans' focus settled on traditional jazz standards and original compositions, with an added emphasis on interplay among band members. In 1966, he met bassist Eddie Gómez, with whom he would work for eleven years.

[35] His versions of jazz standards, as well as his own compositions, often featured thorough reharmonisations. Bill Evans was born on August 16, 1929, in Plainfield, New Jersey, the U.S. His father was Harry Evans and mother was Mary Evans. They just take you to a different place than most normal piano players would go," Spiegel says. In parallel with his trio work, Evans kept his work as a sideman. This is my man. See main article: List of compositions by Bill Evans. Many of Evans's critics have commented on his detachment from the original black roots of jazz, believing that the European and classical traditions are of much greater import. During that time, Evans was also playing with Chet Baker for the album Chet. See main article: Kind of Blue. One of the most significant releases during this period is Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival (1968), where he won his second Grammy award. Along with his studies, Evans played in mostly low-profile "Tuxedo gigs" at the Friendship Club and the Roseland Ballroom, as well as Jewish weddings, intermission spots, and over-40 dances. Until then stay tuned to us. The jazz world, which can be roiled by factions and jealousies, usually agrees on that. In what turned out to be an eleven-year stay, Gómez sparked new developments in Evans's trio conception. Evans also appeared on albums by Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson, Tony Scott, Eddie Costa and Art Farmer. Evans finally settled on Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. Views on contemporaneous music tendencies. They know I'm really into jazz. "While I was staying with my brother in Baton Rouge, I remember finding that somehow I had reached a new level of expression in my playing. You're here in my heart. [15] Years later, when asked to play it, he said it was a spontaneous improvisation and didn't know it. When he re-formed his trio in 1962, two albums, Moon Beams and How My Heart Sings! A new documentary by filmmaker Bruce Spiegel helps capture that genius with interviews of musicians, family members, and archival footage of Bill Evans himself.

Even though Bill was thought to be too young to receive lessons, he soon began to play what he had heard during his brother's class. So I think it's interesting that people are rediscovering Bill, and part of the reason I'm doing this is because I want people to rediscover Bill. (SOUNDBITE OF MILES DAVIS' "BLUE IN GREEN"). SPIEGEL: And Miles heard that. Bill Evans was a genius. He was also a keen golfer, a hobby that began on his father's golf course. A greater emphasis was placed on group improvisation and interaction, and new harmonic experiments were attempted.

What do you think his legacy is for people who love music today?

Given Harry Evans Sr.'s destructive character, Mary Evans often left home with her sons to nearby Somerville, to stay with her sister Justine and the Epps family. [19] Another influence was George Russell's treatise. And Bill really wanted to have kids. He started with one gram per weekend, but later started taking several grams daily. SIMON: Bill Evans was a Jersey guy by birth. 2011 . Evans's harmonic language was influenced by impressionist composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Each day becomes all of life in microcosm. He plays with one hand in the time signature of 4/4 and the other momentarily in 3/4. There is no more influential jazz-oriented pianist—only McCoy Tyner exerts nearly as much pull among younger players and journeymen."[39]. Several successful albums followed, such as Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Alone and The Bill Evans Album, among others. It was Evans who introduced John Coltrane to the Indian philosophy of Krishnamurti. SPIEGEL: Well, I've got a couple of kids. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. SIMON: What was it like to hear Bill Evans play? But in the course of making the movie I played [Evans] for them, and they say, 'Jesus, that's pretty good.' harv.

Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Articulating its melody at the piano, Hersch slips in a few leisurely pauses, which slow down and stretch out the form. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Russell's first impression of Evans was negative ("this is going to be like pulling teeth all day"), but when he secretly heard Evans play, he completely changed his mind. How did he go from playing wedding gigs to working with Miles Davis? Tierra oscura. He was a composer and pianist with a light, lyrical touch that was once described as what you might hear at the gates of heaven. It has been documented that he voluntarily quit his treatment for chronic hepatitis. (...) [It's] merely an alternate keyboard instrument, that offers a certain kind of sound that's appropriate sometimes. You'll play with me. "[15] However, Evans and Davis kept in touch throughout their lives. resulted. Book: Pettinger, Peter . In August 1979, Evans recorded his last studio album, We Will Meet Again, featuring a composition of the same name written for his brother. Evans joined the group in April 1958. Ironically, after recording, Evans was utterly unwilling to release it, believing the trio had played badly. Template:Other uses Evans's friend Gene Lees described Evans's struggle with drugs as "the longest suicide in history." Evans also appeared on albums by Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson, Tony Scott, Eddie Costa and Art Farmer. But people obviously knew he was good. His life was one of perpetual heartbreak.

At that time, his girlfriend Ellaine was also a drug addict. Arguably, he created a lot of sadness for himself in his own life. I want to take the first part of that. SPIEGEL: Thank you for having me. Between 1969 and 1970 Evans recorded From Left to Right, featuring his first use of electric piano. Evans finally settled on Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. Though he recorded many albums for Verve, their artistic quality was uneven. He realized that Evans, who had worked with Russell, could follow him into modal music. . [7], In 1961, Evans produced four albums in rapid succession. Evans, who was already acquainted with these ideas, began to work with Russell in 1956. In 1960, he performed on singer Frank Minion's album The Soft Land of Make Believe, featuring versions of some of the Kind of Blue tunes with lyrics, along with Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. His sister-in-law Pat Evans has stated that she knew Bill wouldn't last long after Harry's death and she wondered if that's what prompted her to buy three plots in a Baton Rouge Cemetery, where Harry was interred. Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, Bill Evans Everything Happens To Me – a musical biography, Bill Evans entry — Jazz Discography Project, "Bill Evans: Twelve Essential Recordings by Ted Gioia", Bill Evans Time Remembered Documentary Film, The Two Brothers As I Knew Them: Harry and Bill Evans, "Bill Evans, Jazz Pianist Praised For Lyricism and Structure, Dies; 'In Touch With His Feelings' Trouble With Scales", Bill Evans - Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Broadcast (1977 Album), https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/222685129/, Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century-Volume 2, African American Music Instruction Guide for Piano: Children, Beginners, Intermediate & Advanced Students, Interview with Marian McParland, late 1970s, http://harryevanstrio.com/The_Two_Brothers.pdf, The Brandeis Festival LP in A Jazz Retrospect, George Clabin interviews Bill Evans about Scott LaFaro in 1966, Miles Davis and Bill Evans: Miles and Bill in Black & White, Chet Baker and Bill Evans The Complete Legendary Sessions Review, Exploring the Life and Music of Bill Evans, Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz: Brad Mehldau, 'La La Land' Costume Designer Explains the Retro Realistic Look of the Film. [14] Around that time he also composed a piece called "Peace Piece". During his three-year (1951–54) stay in the Army, Evans played flute, piccolo, and piano in the Fifth U.S. Army Band at Fort Sheridan. His shelves held works by Plato, Voltaire, Whitehead, Santayana, Freud, Margaret Mead, Sartre, and Thomas Merton; and held a special fondness for Thomas Hardy's work. Although a critical success that gained positive reviews in Down Beat and Metronome magazines, New Jazz Conceptions was initially a financial failure, selling only 800 copies the first year. As people criticized his musical conceptions and playing, he lost confidence for the first time. He was a composer and pianist with a light A New Documentary Explores The Troubled, Brilliant Life Of Pianist Bill Evans | Interlochen The three relocated to New York City, but their inability to attract bookings prompted them to leave for Calumet City, Illinois. Evans said, "You don't understand. Evans has left his mark on such players as Chick Corea, Ralph Towner, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Vince Guaraldi, Don Friedman, Marian McPartland, Denny Zeitlin, Paul Bley, Bobo Stenson, Warren Bernhardt, Michel Petrucciani, Lenny Breau, Keith Jarrett and Rick Wright of Pink Floyd, as well as many other musicians worldwide. "[9][24], Evans never allowed heroin to interfere with his musical discipline, according to a BBC record review article which contrasts Evans' addiction with that of Chet Baker. BRUCE SPIEGEL: Thanks for having me. In parallel, Evans kept with his work with Scott, playing in Preview's Modern Jazz Club in Chicago during December–January 1956/7, and recording The Complete Tony Scott. The duo remained married couple until his last breath. [14] The trio with LaFaro and Motian became one of the most celebrated piano trios in jazz. However, when the album came out, the song was attributed exclusively to Davis. [28] Fellow musicians paid homage to the late pianist in the first days of the 1980 Monterey Jazz Festival, which had opened that very week: Dave Brubeck played his own "In Your Own Sweet Way" on the 19th, The Manhattan Transfer would follow on the 20th, while John Lewis dedicated "I'll Remember April".