Gil Evans

For fans of Gil Evans, Miles Davis & Jazz! Monday Nights is not only the first studio recording of the Gil Evans Orchestra in over forty years, it also offers some of the most audacious and electrifying music of the new millennium. The late Gil Evans was one of the most respected orchestrators in jazz history and his fabled collaborations with Miles Davis, including Birth of the Cool, Sketches of Spain and Porgy and Bess, set the gold standard for modern jazz arranging. Accordingly, Evans played a key role in the development of cool jazz, modal jazz, free jazz and jazz fusion.

Although Gil Evans had gained a lot of acclaim for his three collaborations with Miles Davis in the 1950s and his own albums, this CD contains (with the exception of two tracks purposely left off), Evans's only dates as a leader during 1961-68. The personnel varies on the six sessions that comprise the CD (which adds five numbers including two previously unreleased to the original Lp) with such major soloists featured as tenorman Wayne Shorter, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, trumpeter Johnny Coles and guitarist Kenny Burrell. ~ AllMusic

One of the most significant arrangers in jazz history, Gil Evans' three album-length collaborations with Miles Davis (Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain) are all considered classics.

Gil Evans - The Complete Pacific Jazz Sessions (1958-59) {Blue Note Connoisseur CD Series rel 2006}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 471 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 180 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 11 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit mastering
© 1958-59, 2006 Blue Note / Capitol | 0946 3 58300 2 6
Jazz / Cool / Modern Big Band / Progressive Jazz

Gil Evans released two records on World Pacific in 1958 and 1959. They were among his earliest dates as a leader. Gil Evans & Ten was issued by Prestige in 1957, but these dates stand out more. New Bottle, Old Wine was the first of the pair and the band included four trumpets, a trio of trombones, French horn (played by Julius Watkins), a pair of tubas, Cannonball Adderley as the lone saxophonist, and a rhythm section that included either Philly Joe Jones or Art Blakey on drums, Paul Chambers on bass, and Chuck Wayne on guitar.

Although Gil Evans had gained a lot of acclaim for his three collaborations with Miles Davis in the 1950s and his own albums, this CD contains (with the exception of two tracks purposely left off), Evans's only dates as a leader during 1961-68. The personnel varies on the six sessions that comprise the CD (which adds five numbers including two previously unreleased to the original Lp) with such major soloists featured as tenorman Wayne Shorter, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, trumpeter Johnny Coles and guitarist Kenny Burrell. Highlights include "Time of the Barracudas," "The Barbara Song," "Las Vegas Tango" and "Spoonful." Highly recommended to Gil Evans fans; it is a pity he did not record more during this era.

Gil Evans - Gil Evans & Ten (1957) {Prestige OJCCD-346-2 rel 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 133 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 80 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 8 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 1999 Prestige / Fantasy / Universal | OJCCD-346-2 / 00025218634625
Jazz / Cool / Modern Big Band / Progressive Jazz

Although arranger Gil Evans had been active in the major leagues of jazz ever since the mid-'40s and had participated in Miles Davis' famous Birth of the Cool recordings, Gil Evans & Ten was his first opportunity to record as a leader. The set features a typically unusual 11-piece unit consisting of two trumpets, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, Bart Varsalona on bass trombone, French horn player Willie Ruff, Steve Lacy on soprano, altoist Lee Konitz, Dave Kurtzer on bassoon, bassist Paul Chambers, and either Nick Stabulas or Jo Jones on drums, plus the leader's sparse piano.