Bill Evans · I know the classics

Beyond the classics: Evans

You know the Vanguard records and Kind of Blue. This path fills in the rest of the 1958 to 1966 story: Evans in Miles Davis's band, the years after Scott LaFaro's death, the move to Verve and producer Creed Taylor, and the partners, trios and orchestras he tried on the way to his next long-running band.

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Eight months with Miles
Jazz Track Miles Davis · Columbia CL 1268 · 1959
Evans's time in Miles Davis's sextet was short, from the spring of 1958 to that November. Side two of this record holds the band's studio session of May 26, 1958, at Columbia in New York: Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Evans, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, the same band that later made Kind of Blue except for its pianist. Columbia filled side one with Davis's music for Louis Malle's film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud, recorded in Paris in 1957, and released the whole thing in 1959. It was nominated for a Grammy. Start here to hear Evans inside Davis's band, a year before the famous record.
Start with
- On Green Dolphin Street
- Fran-Dance
"On Green Dolphin Street", a film song, runs nearly 10 minutes, with room for long solos. "Fran-Dance" is a Davis tune named for his wife, Frances Taylor; the sleeve misprinted it as "Put Your Little Foot Right Out". Listen to the piano behind the horns: the light chords and open space Evans brought to the band are already there.
In the band
John Coltrane · tenor sax
John Coltrane was in his second spell with Davis. In 1957 he had quit heroin, worked with Thelonious Monk and made Blue Train for Blue Note, and his playing was growing denser and faster. A year after this session he recorded Giant Steps, and by 1960 he had left to lead his own quartet. He died in 1967, aged 40.
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The sextet live at Newport
Miles & Monk At Newport Miles Davis Sextet · Columbia CL 2178 · 1964
Five weeks later, on July 3, 1958, the same sextet played the Newport Jazz Festival. Columbia recorded the set but held it until 1964, when it came out on one side of an LP with Thelonious Monk's 1963 Newport set on the other. This and the Jazz at the Plaza recording are the only proper live recordings of the Kind of Blue sextet before 1960, so this is a rare chance to hear Evans with Davis in front of a crowd. They play fast bebop tunes by Charlie Parker, Monk and Dizzy Gillespie, and Davis's own "Fran-Dance".
Start with
- Ah-Leu-Cha
- Straight, No Chaser
- Two Bass Hit
"Ah-Leu-Cha" is a Charlie Parker line, "Straight, No Chaser" is a Monk blues, and "Two Bass Hit" is by Gillespie and John Lewis. This is the band's hard-blowing side, much quicker than anything on Kind of Blue. Listen for Evans behind three horns at fast tempos, a very different job from the trio.
In the band
Paul Chambers · bass
Paul Chambers was 23 and had been Davis's bassist since 1955. Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Detroit, he was the first-call bassist in New York, on records for Blue Note, Prestige and Riverside as well as Columbia, known for a deep walking line and for solos played with the bow. He stayed with Davis until 1963 and recorded with Evans many times. He died in 1969, aged 33.
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Flute with the new trio
Nirvana Herbie Mann & The Bill Evans Trio · Atlantic LP 1426 · 1964
After LaFaro's death Evans built a new trio, with Chuck Israels on bass and Paul Motian still on drums. On December 8, 1961, and again on May 4, 1962, that trio joined flutist Herbie Mann at Atlantic's studio in New York, with Nesuhi Ertegun producing. Atlantic held the record until October 1964. It is a gentle, low-key meeting, and the earliest recording on the site of the new trio, months before its own albums. AllMusic's Ken Dryden wrote that fans of either man will want it.
Start with
- Nirvana
- Gymnopedie
- Willow Weep For Me
"Nirvana" and "Cashmere" are Mann's tunes. "Gymnopedie" is Erik Satie's piano piece, from the May 1962 date, a natural fit for a pianist steeped in French music. Dryden notes that Mann plays in a straight-ahead bop setting here, and one review heard "Willow Weep For Me" and the Satie bringing out the lyrical side of his flute.
In the band
Herbie Mann · flute
Herbie Mann, born in Brooklyn in 1930, did more than anyone to make the flute a lead instrument in jazz, and he was always looking for new sounds: Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music by the early 1960s, and later soul and rock. He had a hit with "Comin' Home Baby" in 1962 and a bigger one with Memphis Underground in 1969. He died in 2003.
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The new trio picks up the pace
How My Heart Sings! Bill Evans Trio · Riverside RLP 473 · 1964
The same May and June 1962 sessions at Sound Makers that gave Riverside its ballad album also produced this set of quicker tunes, held back until January 1964. Israels and Motian are with Evans, and the music is brighter: three little-known Evans originals, a waltz by his friend Earl Zindars, Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "Summertime". It shows the post-LaFaro trio at faster tempos and in a lighter mood. AllMusic and the Penguin Guide both gave it four stars.
Start with
- How My Heart Sings
- In Your Own Sweet Way
- 34 Skidoo
Zindars's "How My Heart Sings" is a waltz that shifts into four for an interlude; it has since been recorded at least 75 times. "In Your Own Sweet Way" is an early cover of Brubeck's 1956 tune. "34 Skidoo" is one of the three Evans originals, with "Walking Up" and "Show-Type Tune". Listen to how the bass and drums push the faster tunes.
In the band
Paul Motian · drums
Paul Motian had been with Evans since the start of the LaFaro trio and stayed through the change, the link between the two bands. He later drummed in Keith Jarrett's quartet, led his own groups from the 1970s on, and formed a long-running trio with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano. In his last years he played often at the Village Vanguard. He died in New York in 2011.
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Leading a quintet with horn
Interplay Bill Evans · Riverside RLP 445 · 1963
In July 1962, between trio sessions, Evans led a quintet for Riverside at Sound Makers in New York: Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Jim Hall on guitar, Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Orrin Keepnews produced the dates on July 16 and 17, and Evans wrote the title tune. That spring Evans and Hall had made a duo record, Undercurrent, for another label. This is a side of Evans people forget: a leader who could swing with a horn out front and set up other soloists. AllMusic's Scott Yanow called it excellent music, and the Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide gave it five stars.
Start with
- You And The Night And The Music
- Interplay
- When You Wish Upon A Star
"You And The Night And The Music" opens the record with the full quintet. "Interplay" is Evans's own tune and the longest track, over eight minutes, with room for each soloist. "When You Wish Upon A Star" is the song from Disney's Pinocchio, a reminder that Evans would take a good melody from anywhere.
In the band
Freddie Hubbard · trumpet
Freddie Hubbard came to New York from Indianapolis in 1958 and was 24 here, already in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; the year before, he and Evans had played together on Oliver Nelson's The Blues and the Abstract Truth. He brings a big, bright trumpet sound, a strong contrast to Evans's soft touch. He also played on Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, and in the 1970s his records for CTI made him a star. He died in 2008.
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Borrowed by Verve
Empathy Shelly Manne/Bill Evans With Monty Budwig · Verve V-8497 · 1962
In 1962 drummer Shelly Manne's group shared a bill at the Village Vanguard with the Evans trio. Creed Taylor, now at Verve, proposed a studio session for the two leaders, and Riverside, Evans's label, allowed it. They recorded at Van Gelder's on August 14, 1962, with Manne's bassist, Monty Budwig. It is Evans with a West Coast rhythm section, and AllMusic's David Nathan heard him sounding lighter, freer and more relaxed than he had for a while. Leonard Feather, in DownBeat, praised how the three worked together. Within a year Evans was a Verve artist.
Start with
- The Washington Twist
- Danny Boy
- With A Song In My Heart
"The Washington Twist" and "Let's Go Back To The Waltz" are Irving Berlin songs from his 1962 Broadway show Mr. President, new and unusual choices for jazz. "Danny Boy" is the old Irish air. "With A Song In My Heart" is the longest track, over nine minutes. Feather felt the focus was on Evans, as it should be.
In the band
Shelly Manne · drums
Shelly Manne, born in New York in 1920, made his name with Stan Kenton's orchestra in the 1940s and then settled in Los Angeles, where he became the leading drummer of West Coast jazz, with his own group, Shelly Manne & His Men, and a busy career in film studios. His 1956 My Fair Lady with André Previn was a big seller. He died in 1984.
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Guest soloist with an orchestra
Special Guest Soloist: Bill Evans The Gary McFarland Orchestra · Verve V-8518 · 1963
On January 24, 1963, at Webster Hall in New York, Evans was the guest soloist for the young composer and vibraphonist Gary McFarland, again for Creed Taylor and Verve. McFarland had met Evans at Lenox in 1959, and running into him again while planning the album, worked up the courage to ask him. The group is 11 players, with Jim Hall on guitar, Phil Woods and Spencer Sinatra on reeds, four strings, Richard Davis on bass and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. DownBeat called the music unusually sensitive, and AllMusic's Douglas Payne heard it as a kind of soundtrack to city life.
Start with
- Reflections In The Park
- Misplaced Cowpoke
- A Moment Alone
All six tunes are McFarland's. The "orchestra" is small: two violas and two cellos, two reeds, guitar and vibes around the piano trio, so the colors stay light. "Reflections In The Park" opens the record, "Misplaced Cowpoke" is the longest piece, over 10 minutes, and "A Moment Alone" closes it. Listen for the piano as one color among many.
In the band
Gary McFarland · vibes
Gary McFarland, born in Los Angeles in 1933, was a vibraphonist and one of the most talked-about young writers in jazz; in 1962 he arranged Stan Getz's Big Band Bossa Nova for Verve. His music later moved toward a wistful kind of instrumental pop, and he scored films. He died in 1971, aged 38, after taking liquid methadone at a Greenwich Village bar; whether it was deliberate or his drink was spiked was never settled.
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Live in Hollywood
Bill Evans Trio At Shelly's Manne-Hole, Hollywood, California Bill Evans Trio · Riverside RLP 487 · 1966
In May 1963 Evans took his trio to Shelly's Manne-Hole, the Hollywood club run by the drummer from Empathy, and the shows of May 14 and 19 were recorded for Riverside. Chuck Israels is on bass. Evans was between drummers, and Larry Bunker, a Los Angeles studio player, sat in. Like the Vanguard records two years earlier, it catches the trio in a club in front of an audience, this time with a new drummer finding his way into the music. Further tunes from the same run came out much later on another album.
Start with
- Isn't It Romantic
- Swedish Pastry
- Stella By Starlight
"Isn't It Romantic" is a Rodgers and Hart song, "Swedish Pastry" a bop tune by guitarist Barney Kessel, and "Stella By Starlight" a tune Evans had played in Miles Davis's band. The set ends with "Blues In 'F'". Listen for what Bunker, who was also a fine vibraphonist and percussionist, brings in place of Motian.
In the band
Larry Bunker · drums
Larry Bunker, born in Long Beach, California, in 1928, was a key player in West Coast jazz: he played at the Lighthouse, with Shorty Rogers, in an early Art Pepper group and in Gerry Mulligan's first groups. He played vibes and timpani too, and he drummed with Evans on and off from 1963 to 1965. In the studios he backed Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee, and his film work ran from Stalag 17 to The Incredibles. He died in 2005.
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One night with Gary Peacock
Trio 64 Bill Evans · Verve V-8578 · 1964
On December 18, 1963, at Webster Hall in New York, Creed Taylor recorded Evans for Verve with Paul Motian and a new bassist, Gary Peacock. It turned out to be Peacock's only record with Evans and Motian's last, which makes it a one-time trio. The tunes are playful as well as tender: "Little Lulu", from the cartoon, and even "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". AllMusic's Lindsay Palmer praised the communal and intuitive conversation among the three. It is a record many Evans fans never get to, and one of the best of his Verve years.
Start with
- Little Lulu
- A Sleepin' Bee
- Everything Happens To Me
"Little Lulu" opens the record. "A Sleepin' Bee" is a Harold Arlen song from the musical House of Flowers, and "Everything Happens To Me" is the ballad of the set. Listen to Peacock: a different bassist changes the whole trio, and set beside Israels he gives the music a new shape.
In the band
Gary Peacock · bass
Gary Peacock, born in Idaho in 1935, had worked on the West Coast before coming to New York. In 1964 he played with Albert Ayler on Spiritual Unity, about as far from Evans as jazz got, and after a break from music he spent more than two years in Japan. From 1983 he spent three decades in Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio, playing the same songbook heard here. He died in 2020.
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The trio meets an orchestra
Bill Evans Trio With Symphony Orchestra Bill Evans Trio With Symphony Orchestra · Verve V-8640 · 1966
On September 29 and December 16, 1965, at Van Gelder's, Creed Taylor set the trio, with Chuck Israels and Grady Tate on drums, inside strings and woodwinds arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman. Most of the pieces are adapted from classical music, long part of Evans's background: Granados, Bach, Scriabin, Fauré and Chopin. Critics split on it. AllMusic's Scott Yanow found it dull, while Keith Shadwick called it often rather beautiful and always tasteful, and Tony Bennett reportedly counted it among his favorite albums. It is the fullest picture of the classical side of Evans, and his biggest setting.
Start with
- Granados
- Time Remembered
- Pavane
"Granados" is built on the opening theme of Enrique Granados's The Maiden and the Nightingale. "Pavane" is Fauré's, "Blue Interlude" comes from a Chopin prelude, and "Valse" from a Bach flute sonata. "Time Remembered" is an Evans original; an earlier recording of it had been shelved, so this was its first release.
In the band
Claus Ogerman · arranger
Claus Ogerman, born in 1930 in Ratibor, then in Germany, worked often for Creed Taylor at Verve in these years. He arranged Antonio Carlos Jobim's 1963 album The Composer of Desafinado, Plays and later Frank Sinatra's record with Jobim, and much later worked with Diana Krall. He also wrote concert music; "Elegia" here comes from his own concerto for orchestra and jazz piano. He died in 2016.
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Enter Eddie Gómez
A Simple Matter Of Conviction Bill Evans, Shelly Manne, Eddie Gomez · Verve V-8675 · 1966
On October 4, 1966, at Van Gelder's, Evans met Shelly Manne again, four years after Empathy, with a 22-year-old bassist he had met that year, Eddie Gómez. Creed Taylor produced, and Evans brought four new tunes of his own. It was his second and last record with Manne, and the start of something longer: Gómez would play with Evans for about 11 years, longer than any other bassist. AllMusic's Bob Rusch singled out Manne's drumming, which pushed and took unexpected chances. It marks the start of Evans's next long-running trio.
Start with
- A Simple Matter Of Conviction
- Only Child
- Laura
The title track, "Unless It's You", "Only Child" and "These Things Called Changes" are Evans's new tunes. "Laura" is David Raksin's film theme. Listen to the bass on each: this is the first record here with the player who would shape the Evans trio for the next decade, and the bass is again a full partner.
In the band
Eddie Gomez · bass
Eddie Gómez was born in Puerto Rico in 1944 and grew up in New York, where he studied at the High School of Music and Art and at Juilliard. He stayed with Evans for about 11 years, on dozens of records, including the Grammy-winning live album from Montreux in 1968. Later he worked with Chick Corea, was a founder of the band Steps Ahead, and led his own groups.
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A duet with himself, again
Further Conversations With Myself Bill Evans · Verve V-8727 · 1967
On August 9, 1967, at Webster Hall in New York, Evans went back to overdubbing, four years after his first, Grammy-winning try. This time his manager, Helen Keane, produced, and where the first Conversations layered three pianos, here he used two. The record was nominated for a Grammy. AllMusic's Scott Yanow found it thoughtful and, despite the overdubbing, spontaneous-sounding. It's a fitting end to this path: Evans in a duet with himself, with Gómez now beside him on the bandstand and a new trio and a new decade ahead.
Start with
- Emily
- Quiet Now
- Funny Man
"Emily" is the Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer film song that opens the record; Peter Pettinger praised its arresting beauty. "Quiet Now" is by the pianist Denny Zeitlin, and Pettinger heard a stark emotional directness in it. "Funny Man" is Evans's own. Listen for two piano parts instead of three, and the extra room between the voices.
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