Bill Evans appreciation thread

There did seem to be less attention paid to artists from the 60s and 70s. Mingus and Pepper were barely mentioned as well, if I remember. The doc was so outstanding. It is a shame that Burns didn't add another couple of hours and finish it up as well.

 

While Evans' solo and trio output gets the most recognition, as it well should, his orchestral collaborations with Claus Ogerman are wonderful and shouldn't be overlooked, as those clips in this thread show. This is my favorite Evans/Ogerman collaboration:

 

I posted this in the Jazz Beat thread but haven't got an answer yet.

Which should I get? SHM-CD or Platinum SHM-CD?

Thanks.

 

I have played Interplay (complete) several times and there is definitely something missing from that session. In all other cases Bill Evans music resonates because it evokes a sophisticated, 50s, 60s, jazz as art sensibility in same way that Bach and Beethoven evoke their periods. I enjoyed the video clip, thanks.

 

My favorite Bill Evans LP
But I like everything he played...

 

Music Direct has the 33 LP of "Trio 64" now in stock on the Verve label. No word on source or if it is AAA or digital. (also have Ben Webster's "Soulville)

 

I just picked up an album he did with Jim Hall - Undercurrent. Haven't even heard it yet... so far I really only know him by his work on Kind of Blue.

 

He is my favorite or 2nd all time favorite pianist so it's hard for me because I think it's all great but for a neophyte I would say Since We Met from the Village Vanguard 1974. It's one of my favorites in his catalog, the title track, Midnight Mood and Time Remembered are awesome. The trio is in great form that night due to the venue. Sometimes the Vanguard brings out the best in people.



All of the 60's Riverside stuff is great and must haves. For other Fantasy and Milestone's the Tokyo Concert and Half Moon Bay are also very good.
For Verve - Intermodulation, Trio 64 and 65 are good places to start.

The last recordings from Turn Out The Stars has some inspired playing but it's not for everyone.

 

Any word on the re-press of the box?

 

A traditionalist when all his peers had gone jazz fusion. The most "electric" he ever got was a brief time experimenting with an electric piano. The most contemporary pop he ever got were renditions of "Alfie".

Often, when I pick up my guitar, I start playing "Waltz for Debby".

 

I love listening to Bill Evans records. I think it's practically therapeutic to hear him play. It's perfect listening for quiet time, to rest, take a breath, get out of your own mind and separate from your anxieties. I've only heard a little bit of his catalog, but my favorites so far as "Waltz for Debby" and "Everybody Digs Bill Evans".

 

Great, thanks!

 

You won't find a bigger Bill Evans admirer than me. Some days and nights that's all I listen to.

Mindful of the recent Trio '64 release from Music on Vinyl, with whom I've had great experiences, I couldn't chance it and just today bought from overseas a Japan vinyl of this album. Just to say it, most all -- the exceptions being three AP releases, two 45's and one 33 -- of my Bill Evans records are the Verve/Milestones Japan vinyl and they are just exquisite!

How is the quality of the American original vinyl issues from Verve? I think all of my vintage Verve albums are Japan issues but I've been curious about the quality of their domestic counterparts.

Also, how do the mono issues compare to the stereo? There are some strange experiments in stereo on some of these early issues, but when I select mono on my preamp some of the magic goes missing. Are the mono issues of the early stuff the way to go?

 

I will always remember my introduction to Bill Evans music - it was either through the album UNDERCURRENT or AT SHELLY'S MANNE HOLE. Whichever it was, they both remain on high rotation at our house and I strongly recommend both. Thanks to the poster who added that fantastic clip, which I haven't seen before. Who knows how much other great footage is out there waiting to be discovered. Bill Evans creates worlds that you can get lost inside, which is what works for me.

 

That's right! , all Bill Evans are excellent, live or studio. The later it was in years the better he got - right to the end. . Bill regularly played runs at Concerts By the Sea, a nightclub on the Redondo Beach, Calif. horseshoe pier duringthe 1970's. He ended up marrying a Redondo Beach woman. Incidentally he was an outstanding golfer with a beautiful golf swing. "Quintessence" is my favorite studio album and the "Turn Out The Stars" box set is currently my favorite live release.

 

Not sure about mono vs. stereo. However, I have the 45 RPM box from AP and several 33 reissues from riverside. The box is the best sounding but the 33's are great too. Not sure you can go wrong here.

 

Were the AP issues all done from analogue or were there some digital files used, please? I own the 33 of Portraits and something makes me think it might have been done from digital files, that something being comparisons to vintage japanese vinyl issues. Just wondering if that's the case.

 

The AP 45 RPM's are all analogue and mastered by none other than Mr. Hoffman. These are the best IMO. I really am not sure about the 33 RPM sources.

 

I'm listening to that album now. Beautiful. I love that cover, the featured painting of which is called Yearning by Charles Burchfield. That style of watercolor reminds me of the liner notes Evans wrote for Kind of Blue. A similarity. A perfect match for this Bill Evans trio music.
http://www.columbusalive.com/conten...ick-charles-burchfield-at-keny-galleries.html

 

I listened tonight to my Portraits in Jazz AP 33. I am loosening my grip on the suspicion that it is not all analogue. Ha. Even so, it has a very different presentation than the other Bill Evans Trio Japanese pressings I have. I did order this title as a Japanese pressing but it has not arrived. I'll be interested to compare them. There is just a sort of translucence to the Japanese pressings that I favor. Thanks for your thoughts on the 45s from AP.

 

One of the interesting 33's I have is an Analogue Productions "Waltz for Debby". There are no initials in the deadwax - not sure who remastered this one for AP. This one sounds great but not sure it is still available. It has a silver AP label and states "limited edition". The other 33's I have are both Riverside labels distributed by Fantasy. All of these are 180 Gram.

 

Was listening to Trio'65 when I saw this thread

 

My Bill Evans Portraits arrived today from Japan. Come to discover, it is MONO whereas my AP 33 1/3 is STEREO. I had mentioned I would like to conduct a shoot-out between the two. I had mentioned that I believed Japanese pressings have a certain translucence which I find charming. Okay, let's cue these bad boys up and see what's what.

But first, let us examine the covers and photographs. In real life, I think the colors are much closer to one another than what comes across in the photos. Also, because of a touch of glare, I went ahead and two took photos, exchanging the position of the albums. You'll know the stereo album because it has a big red band that reads STEREO on it. If I were clever I would have noticed before I bought it the recent Japan purchase does not have this descriptor and hence it would be mono.

Actually, I wanted to hear these early '60's albums in mono so this worked out great. First, the photos.





One thing that's interesting is that Bill's shirt is definitely blue in the AP Stereo issue. On the Japan mono it would be more grey in color. Also, with scrutiny, we note that the portrait on the mono issue shows some beard stubble and a more general weariness. Born in 1929, Bill would be about 31 years old if this photo was taken about when the album was recorded, December 28, 1959. It was released in 1960. I think he looks younger on the stereo jacket. I wonder if AP had some airbrushing done, but when I look at stereo jacket cover art from the internet his shirt appears less blue and more grey, true to the original Japan cover art.

Let's get down to how the records compare. I was surprised to discover how close the two are to one another. I had expected some salient differences. Both albums offer dead quiet wax. In fact, the stereo AP sounds better with each play. Maybe there is something to the idea of the stylus polishing the grooves with play. It's something to think about.

I'm really, really stretching to find any preferences or differences at all in sound quality. (Yes, there were differences with one being stereo and the other mono.) I tried folding the stereo down to mono but that caused the record to lose some shimmer and would have unfairly favored the Japanese mono. So I went ahead and flipped back to stereo on the stereo album and ran with it.

As I say, they were so nearly identical that except for the obvious stereo versus mono I would not claim I could pass a blind fold test. That sure surprised me. So much for my perception of the glorious translucence of Japanese vinyl.

It did seem that the stereo AP had a bit more bite on the initial attack. I'm thinking specifically about the upright bass but it holds true for piano and drums as well. I mean a smidgen, maybe one percent or less. It was not obvious and I was really leaning in to it in order to make any kind of observation about this. Second, I think the bass notes played a bit lower on the stereo AP. Again, it was not obvious and might have been a result purely of having the bass less encumbered in the soundstage. The sound of the brushes too had a very minor difference: they sounded more metallic on the stereo AP and more dry or woody on the Japanese mono. I'm picking nits off of nits here to try and find something intelligent or interesting to say.

Boy, that's about all I have on it. I was floored at how similar they were across the board, tone, attack, decay, dynamics, quiet vinyl, etc. I would conclude that the Japan mono issue was a bit more relaxed -- and not in a bad way. And the AP was a bit more dramatic -- again, not in a bad way. The AP did not scream "demo disc," or "listen to this lower bass register." But just as the cover photo was updated just a tad, so too I thought the vinyl was messaged just a bit -- again, like maybe one percent or less. In conclusion, it is a dead draw in my mind. I was curious to hear the mono and better yet that it was beautiful vintage Japanese wax! My curiosity has been sated. (The Stereo AP 33 1/3 can still be had at Acoustic Sounds for $30. On the other hand, I paid $30 plus shipping for my vintage Japanese pressing.) Both are gorgeous. Both are winners.

 

Thanks for the great review! I am curious where you bought the mono version?

 

I bought it on eBay. You have to sort the CDs from vinyl. While that sounds obvious, a lot of the CDs are Japan Mini LPs and they look exactly like vinyl albums. You could search Bill Evans Japan or Japanese or even OBI because some sellers assume you know the item is a Japanese pressing. I buy a lot from facerecords (Face Records) and also vinyl.garage.japan.