Bill Evans We Will Meet Again

This well-rounded set (released posthumously) features the highly influential pianist Bill Evans in a set of typically sensitive trio performances. With his longtime bassist Eddie Gomez and his drummer of the period, Eliot Zigmund, Evans explores such songs as "We Will Meet Again," Jimmy Rowles's classic "The Peacocks" and the "Theme from M*A*S*H." It's a solid example of the great pianist's artistry.

Pianist Bill Evans was one of guitarist John McLaughlin's early heroes so this Evans tribute seemed like a logical idea. Sticking to acoustic guitar, McLaughlin is joined by four other guitarists (along with the acoustic bass guitar of Yann Maresz) to create an unusual instrumentation that often sounds as full as a keyboard. The leader arranged ten of Evans's compositions and his own "Homage" for a largely introverted set of music that has a strong classical feel. McLaughlin lets loose a few times but more mood and tempo variations would have kept this from being such a sleepy and overly respectful session.

Agustí Fernández and Ramón López presents a recording made in 2011 in which both alternating compositions, most of them unpublished, plus an array of the pianist for a popular theme (Sa ximbomba) and a very personal version of We Will Meet Again Bill Evans.

Eddie Gomez is a brilliant bassist whose flexibility and quick reflexes make him an ideal accompanist (although his own albums tend to be a bit erratic jazz-wise). He grew up in New York and was with the Newport Festival Youth Band during 1959-1961. After studying at Juilliard, Gomez played with Rufus Jones' sextet, Marian McPartland (1964), Paul Bley (1964-1965), Giuseppe Logan, Gerry Mulligan, and Gary McFarland, among others. Gomez came to fame during his long period with the Bill Evans Trio (1966-1977).

To listen to the doublebass sound of one of the most historical jazz-players in the world is always moving: after playing for several years in Bill Evans' trio, and also being in the Charles Mingus' last band when the bass master’s illness made himself to rely just even on a bassplayer too, Eddie Gomez is a walking piece of the jazz history indeed. His intense double bass ever echoes the perfection reached in his own previous experience, which here comes to flow into the present recording, titled Palermo: an homage to the beautiful Italian city where the releasing label, Jazz Eyes, resides. The fluent music, its intensity and his romantic touch color this album with a particular atmosphere, thanks to the presence of both the precise pianist Stefan Karlsson, who shares with Gomez a long time artistic companionship, and the drummer Nasheet Waits.