Bill Evans: Live '64 '75 (dvd5) (2008)

Bill Evans - Live at Ronnie Scott's (2020) {2CD Set, Resonance HCD-2046 rec 1968}
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© 1968, 2020 Resonance Records | HCD-2046
Jazz / Post Bop / Modal Music / Piano

Live at Ronnie Scott's is the third official Resonance release of previously-unissued recordings of the Bill Evans trio with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. The nearly 2 hours of music has been remastered from the original tape reels. Live at Ronnie Scott's was captured in July of 1968. On the cover of this deluxe 2CD set is a never-before-published drawing by artist and illustrator David Stone Martin. Package includes an extensive booklet with rare photos, essays and interviews.

Bill Evans' 1963 album Plays the Theme from The V.I.P.s and Other Great Songs features the legendary pianist eschewing his more introspective sound for a commercial pop approach. Working with an orchestral background courtesy of conductor/arranger Claus Ogerman (uncredited here), Evans delves into songs by such writers as Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Elmer Bernstein, Miklós Rózsa, and others. While the album has more to do with light easy listening than deep harmonic jazz exploration, there is much to enjoy here for fans of jazz-inflected '60s pop.

Bill Evans' 1963 album Plays the Theme from The V.I.P.s and Other Great Songs features the legendary pianist eschewing his more introspective sound for a commercial pop approach. Working with an orchestral background courtesy of conductor/arranger Claus Ogerman (uncredited here), Evans delves into songs by such writers as Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Elmer Bernstein, Miklós Rózsa, and others. While the album has more to do with light easy listening than deep harmonic jazz exploration, there is much to enjoy here for fans of jazz-inflected '60s pop.

Bill Evans - Live In Switzerland 1975 (2005) {Gambit Records 69232}
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© 1975, 2005 Gambit Records | 69232
Jazz / Post Bop / Modal Music / Piano

This LP comes from a live 1975 concert by the Bill Evans Trio, which was broadcast by Radio Suisse in Switzerland. The pianist is in superb form, joined by longtime bassist Eddie Gomez and newcomer Eliot Zigmund on drums. The sound is excellent, without the annoying announcers or distortion, so this release could have very well been produced from the master tape itself. The set is wide-ranging, including both recent and older compositions by Evans, "Gloria's Step" (the best-known work by former Evans sideman Scott LaFaro, who died far too young), along with standards like a buoyant "My Romance." The leader's treatment of his ballad "Turn Out the Stars" is rather upbeat, while his somewhat avant-garde composition "T.T.T.T." (also known as "Twelve Tone Tune Two") is a modern masterpiece. Perhaps the greatest surprise was Evans' inventive treatment of pop singer Bobbie Gentry's "Morning Glory."

Bill Evans - Live In Hilversum 1969 (2011) {Jazz Traffic 333211}
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© 1969, 2011 Jazz Traffic | 333211
Jazz / Post Bop / Modal Music / Piano

An unreleased live recording by Bill Evans Trio, including Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell, in Hilversam, the Netherlands in 1969. Evans' recordings of "You're Gonna Hear From Me" and "My Funny Valentine" are rare. Also, pay attention to the excellent performance of "Round Midnight" here. (From the new album guide). The rare recording of My Funny Valentine is excellent! It's my favorite take. It's often performed in slow ballads, but the live recording in Holland 1969 is up-tempo. It's a good interaction with Gomez.

Bill Evans - Live At Ronnie Scott's (1980) {2CD Set, Dreyfus Jazz FDM 36553/54-2 rel 1992}
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© 1980, 1992 Dreyfus Jazz | FDM 36553/54 - 2
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Piano

Recorded during pianist Bill Evans' last visit to England (less than two months before his death), Evans is heard with one of his finest trios on Letter to Evan, the unit with bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe La Barbera. The recording quality of the live set (recorded at Ronnie Scott's) is excellent, and Evans is in surprisingly enthusiastic and creative form; there is no hint that the end is near. Highlights of the very worthwhile release include "Days of Wine and Roses" (which alternates back and forth between two keys), "Knit for Mary F.," and "Stella by Starlight." Easily recommended for true Bill Evans fans.