The Bill Evans Trio "On A Monday Evening" LP

I did a search but could not find if anyone discussed this here yet...there is a new Bill Evans LP coming out on 24 March (hopefully), called "The Bill Evans Trio On A Monday Evening".

[Amazon short description] On A Monday Evening offers jazz fans a rare treat: an unreleased (and never bootlegged!) concert recording of The Bill Evans Trio, featuring Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund. Captured live at Madison, Wisconsin's Union Theater on Monday, November 15, 1976, this recording finds Evans at the top of his game, performing both contemporary compositions from that era, as well as his longstanding signature tunes to a packed house.

Of the major online retailers the Music Direct website has the most comprehensive description, HERE.

 

I saw this too. The only thing is, I never have much luck with Fantasy Records pressings. I think they use Rainbo quite a bit. Keeps me away from buying their stuff.

 

I know it's early in the day but anyone hear this yet? Thoughts?

 

According to Elusive Disc the vinyl is pressed at RTI. I've heard Up With the Lark and Time Remembered on youtube but can only guess what they'll really sound like. I should know tomorrow though, that's when a package arrives from Music Direct with the LP. Let you know.

 

Just arrived. Here's a photo of the cover showing the RTI seal (lower left). Forgot that we had a lunch date with my father in-law so I'll have to play it later.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

I streamed part of the digital version this morning. It is in mono, but all instruments are clear. Reminds me of a good quality 70's radio broadcast recording.

 

Quite a bit less audiophile than I was expecting. The YouTube streams sounded a lot better than the actual album which left me a little disappointed. The bass and drums are all but obscured by noise and distortion an the earliest tracks, but things start to smooth out after Time Remembered and the rest of the record is more listenable when Larry Goldberg gets control of the levels .

I really like Bill Evans from KOB and I recently purchased Undercurrents based on that which I also really like, but to me OAME is more of a historic piece than something I think I can listen to too relax and groove. Mabey a few more listens will be beneficial and I can get a better sense of the performances. I think hard core Bill Evans fans will like this though.

 

[QUOTE="The YouTube streams sounded a lot better than the actual album which left me a little disappointed. The bass and drums are all but obscured by noise and distortion an the earliest tracks, but things start to smooth out after Time Remembered and the rest of the record is more listenable when Larry Goldberg gets control of the levels .[/QUOTE]

This is disappointing. Based on your experience we might be able to conclude that the description is somewhat overblown or even misleading. Remember what it said on the MD site; "You can hear it all unfold in exquisite detail on Concord's 180g vinyl LP, which presents the program with exceptional clarity, immediacy, and perspective".

 

This is disappointing. Based on your experience we might be able to conclude that the description is somewhat overblown or even misleading. Remember what it said on the MD site; "You can hear it all unfold in exquisite detail on Concord's 180g vinyl LP, which presents the program with exceptional clarity, immediacy, and perspective".[/QUOTE]

I seems there was a lot of send up about the Plangent Process on which I read a lengthy thread in the audio hardware forum. I guess I was hoping for some spectacular reprocessing of what is actually a rather crude recording.

 

I haven't heard the LP but have listened so far twice to the cd.

I'm very used to sound quality of this type so I may enjoy it more than others might who may not have listened as extensively to less professional recordings like these. That said all instruments in the trio can be heard well and the piano is captured quite well in my estimation, with Evans' use of the pedals audible and the piano sound is quite resonant. I think the Plangent Process does play a part here and there are no tape fluctuation or other inconsistencies that I hear.

 

This is how I would describe the sound I get when listening to the version on Tidal.

 

Hey all, Larry Goldberg here. This Bill Evans album was a dream come true, 40 years after the fact. I was the luckiest guy in the world to have had the opportunity to interview Bill on the radio (WORT) and then do the sound for the concert. The recording was a real happenstance and sat in a closet for all this time until discovered by my buddy James Farber and sent to Concord Records. If you like the sound at all, it was the luck of a 22-year-old kid who happened to put the mics in the right place for the live performance in a great hall. If you don't, well, it's a great performance anyway and just a treasure to be able to share it with Bills' fans.

Check out the JazzWax column on the interview - and then listen to the whole interview from 1976:
Exclusive: Bill Evans Interview

 

Thanks for weighing in Larry. Great piano sound imo. Thanks for your part in its creation and in this release being made available.

 

Never enough Bill Evans.

 

[QUOTE="If you like the sound at all, it was the luck of a 22-year-old kid who happened to put the mics in the right place for the live performance in a great hall. If you don't, well, it's a great performance anyway and just a treasure to be able to share it with Bills' fans. [/QUOTE]

So true. The LP is on its way. Thanks for chiming in and sharing this wonderful moment with the world.

 

Finally...the LP is here and I have been listening to it a few times now. This is a fantastic concert. Vintage Bill Evans. You'd recognize the trio's signature sound and musical talent even if you only play 2 or 3 seconds! It is indeed a treasure - so thank you Larry and James! Interesting to me is the creative and prominent part Eddie Gomez plays on this record.

From an sound perspective I do think that the praise was heaped on a little too high. This is not an 'audiophile' recording in that I find a important part of the tonal range and depth a piano is capable of missing. The sound is tinkly at times and some of the impact of the piano's soundboard is not all there. But if you turn it up and just settle in to listen all of this is easily forgotten.

 

I have to agree with @Morbius, most of the first side does not sound very good, I was really disappointed. However I am listening to the very last track right now and it sounds completely different. Not one of the best recording of Bill Evans and I was definitely expecting more but side 2 is quite good.

 

I've begun to regret any harsh statements I made regarding sound quality because the more I listen to the album the greater the appreciation I have for the performances on this album. In general anything I listen to of Bill Evans' (Another Time The Hilversum Concert, Undercurrent, KOB) Bill and whoever he was playing with at the time were class acts and On A Monday Evening can be appreciated for that alone.

 

Oh the music is great, I love it. I was just asserting that side 1 is not as good as I was expecting it, but I'll give it another couple spins to see if it grows on me

 

It was recorded by a college kid -way better than I could have done at that age... but as he stated above. not the world' greatest recording... not a great source. We did our best. The flutter was unlistenable and it's ok now except a couple moments that we couldn't touch. We worked on the flat copy then Paul Blakemore took over. The performance is fabulous.

 

Yes, I read the comment by Larry above, and I realize it is often hard to do much once the source is "compromised". I probably had set my expectations a little high, still a great recording though

 

Thanks to all for contributing, I'm going to order the CD version. The weight of opinion seems to be that this date stands out even among the now-frequent issues of live Evans material.