Undercurrent

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Penguin Guide To Jazz: "Five Star" Recordings. Counterpoint. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011 . Retrieved June 28, 2011. Evans, Bill; Hultin, Randi (1994). The Complete Bud Powell on Verve (Liner notes, booklet). Verve. p.39. Evans also performed on albums by Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson, Tony Scott, Eddie Costa and Art Farmer. One of Evans's distinctive harmonic traits is excluding the root in his chords, leaving this work to the bassist, played on another beat of the measure, or just left implied. "If I am going to be sitting here playing roots, fifths and full voicings, the bass is relegated to a time machine." This idea had already been explored by Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner, and Red Garland. In Evans's system, the chord is expressed as a quality identity and a color. [9] [68] Most of Evans's harmonies feature added note chords or quartal voicings. [65] Thus, Evans created a self-sufficient language for the left hand, a distinctive voicing, that allowed the transition from one chord to the next while hardly having to move the hand. With this technique, he created an effect of continuity in the central register of the piano. Lying around middle C, in this region the harmonic clusters sounded the clearest, and at the same time, left room for contrapuntal independence with the bass. [9] It was Tony Bennett who initiated the collaboration with Bill Evans. The two musicians had mutual respect for each other's talent. Bennett and Evans performed together for about two years. Although Evans was using cocaine regularly during this period, he was reported sober when recording the albums with Bennett. [58]

a b c d e f g h i j k l Verchomin, Laurie (2010). The Big Love, Life and Death with Bill Evans. Laurie Verchomin. ISBN 978-1-4565-6309-7.

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Marc Johnson recalled: "This fateful trip marks... the beginning of the end. Bill's willingness to play and work decreased noticeably after the death of Harry, actually it was just the music itself that held him upright. He fulfilled his obligations because he needed money, but these were the few moments in his life when he felt comfortable—the times in between must have been depressing, and he barely showed a willingness to live." [5] Dexter, Jr., Dave (September 27, 1980). "Services Held For Pianist Bill Evans". Billboard. p.70 . Retrieved May 9, 2023– via Google Books.

In an interview given in 1964, Evans described Bud Powell as his single greatest influence. [76] Views on contemporaneous music tendencies [ edit ] Harrison, Max (1976). The Brandeis Festival LP in A Jazz Retrospect. Quartet. pp. 177–179. ISBN 0-7043-0144-X. One of the pieces to appear on the album was Leonard Bernstein's "Some Other Time". Evans started to play an introduction using an ostinato figure. However, according to Keepnews, who was present, the pianist spontaneously started to improvise over that harmonic frame, creating the recording that would be named "Peace Piece". According to Evans: "What happened was that I started to play the introduction, and it started to get so much of its own feeling and identity that I just figured, well, I'll keep going." However, Gretchen Magee claims that the piece had been penned as an exercise during his college years, while Peri Cousins says that he would often play the piece at home. [44] During his lifetime, Evans was honored with 31 Grammy nominations and seven Awards. [53] In 1994, he was posthumously honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Pamies (2021). "Deconstructing Modal Jazz Piano Techniques: The Relation between Debussy's Piano Works and the Innovations of Post-Bop Pianists". Jazz Education in Research and Practice. 2 (1): 76–105. doi: 10.2979/jazzeducrese.2.1.06. JSTOR 10.2979/jazzeducrese.2.1.06. S2CID 234117087.

46 Reviews

Though he recorded many albums for Verve, their artistic quality was uneven. Despite Israels' fast development and the creativity of new drummer Larry Bunker, they were ill-represented by the perfunctory album Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra, featuring Gabriel Fauré's Pavane. Some recordings in unusual contexts were made, such as a concert recording with a big-band recorded at Town Hall, New York that was never issued owing to Evans's dissatisfaction with it (although the more successful jazz trio portion of the concert was released). Live recordings and bootleg radio broadcasts from this time period represent some of the trio's better work. from, BillEvansArchive. "Bill Evans - Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Broadcast (1977 Album)". UMG, Warner/Chappell, EMI . Retrieved August 6, 2018– via YouTube. a b May, Chris (July 12, 2009). "Album review: Tony Bennett / Bill Evans: The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings". All About Jazz . Retrieved July 10, 2023. Interview: Laurie Verchomin (Pt. 5)". JazzWax. August 21, 2009. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014 . Retrieved June 11, 2014.

Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, United States, he studied classical music at Southeastern Louisiana University and the Mannes School of Music, in New York City, where he majored in composition and received the Artist Diploma. In 1955, he moved to New York City, where he worked with bandleader and theorist George Russell. In 1958, Evans joined Miles Davis's sextet, which in 1959, then immersed in modal jazz, recorded Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album ever. [3] In 1973, Evans broke up with his girlfriend of twelve years, Ellaine Schultz, to pursue Nenette Zazzara. Schultz then committed suicide by throwing herself in front of a subway train. Between 1969 and 1970, Evans recorded From Left to Right, featuring his first use of electric piano.That year, Evans also met bassist Scott LaFaro while auditioning him for a place in an ensemble led by trumpeter Chet Baker, and was impressed. LaFaro joined his trio three years later. [34]

His versions of jazz standards, as well as his own compositions, often featured thorough reharmonisations. Musical features included added tone chords, modal inflections, unconventional substitutions, and modulations. [67] An example of Evans's harmonies. The chords feature extensions like 9ths and 13ths, are laid around middle C, have smooth voice leading, and leave the root to the bassist. Bridge of the first chorus of "Waltz for Debby" (mm.33–36). From the 1961 album of the same name. Evans grew up in North Plainfield, New Jersey, the son of Harry and Mary Evans (née Soroka). His father was of Welsh descent and ran a golf course; his mother was of Rusyn ancestry and descended from a family of coal miners. [5] [6] The marriage was stormy because of his father's heavy drinking, gambling, and abuse. [7] [8] Bill had a brother, Harry (Harold), two years his senior, with whom he was very close. [8] In 1974, Bill Evans recorded a multimovement jazz concerto written for him by Claus Ogerman entitled Symbiosis.Bill Evans is credited with influencing the harmonic language of jazz piano. [14] [65] Evans's harmony was itself influenced by impressionist composers such as Claude Debussy [66] and Maurice Ravel. [67] In February 1958, at Miles Davis's urging, Russell drove Evans over to the Colony Club in Brooklyn, to play with Davis' sextet. At this time, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones were the other members of Davis' group. Red Garland had recently been fired, and Evans knew he was not merely filling in for one night but auditioning to become the group's regular pianist. By the end of the night, Davis told Evans that he would be playing their next engagement in Philadelphia. [35] [36] The band had been known for playing a mixture of jazz standards and bebop originals, but by the time Evans arrived, Davis had begun his venture into modal jazz, having just released his album Milestones. Given Harry Evans Sr.'s destructive character, Mary Evans often left home with her sons to go to nearby Somerville, to stay with her sister Justine and the Epps family. There, Harry began piano lessons somewhere between age 5 and 7 with local teacher Helen Leland. Bill was thought to be too young for lessons, but he began to play what he had heard during his brother's, [9] [10] and soon both were taking piano lessons. [11]