Alone Again

Bill Evans | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 15, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000YZO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,270 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: EVANS,BILL
Title: ALONE (AGAIN)
Street Release Date: 01/05/1994
Domestic
Genre: JAZZ

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UNCLUTTERED GENIUS, October 19, 2001

By 

Larry L. Looney (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alone Again (Audio CD)

...and no, I don't throw the term 'genius' around lightly. Bill Evans is definitely in that category. During his lifetime, Evans gifted to his listening public some of the most lyrical, melodic, and at the same time exploratory and innovative piano playing ever recorded. Every aspect of his recorded output -- his various group recordings, his two duo recordings with Tony Bennett, and his two solo outings -- reveals the depths of his virtuosity, of the feeling and understanding he had for the music he played.

The tunes here are all well-known -- under Evans' touch, they are all gently sung by his instrument, then lovingly expanded upon, layer upon layer, revealing the harmonic and rhythmic components that add up to the whole we usually experience. The pure joy to which Bill Evans gave himself through his music shines out of these pieces -- we can hear the joy and wonder in his soul as he takes these tunes into his hands to show us (and himself) the beauty they contain. Throughout all of this, his love of the melody is always present -- the spiraling flights he takes from this foundation always return to it in the end, for the melody is the core of the song.

This is one of those recordings that I find myself returning to again and again as the years go by (it was recorded in 1975), always astounded at its timeless quality, always finding some new twist or phrase that I had never heard before.

The notes on the cd cover mention that Evans was reluctant to record alone -- convincing him to do this album was probably the most difficult thing about the project for producer Helen Keane. Bill Evans' heart, soul and hands did the rest.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solo Workouts, February 28, 2001

By 

svf - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alone Again (Audio CD)

While fascinating to Evans fans and jazz piano devotees, this album would probably not be the best place to start when building your Bill Evans collection. That said, it is quite an intriguing outing, and one of only two solo albums Evans officially released in his career. Here we find him getting deeply engaged in cascading layers of harmony and rhythm as he fully explores the potential of each tune here. The most vigorous workout is given to, of all songs, "People"... about 15 minutes of variation and modulation, building in complexity and then subsiding to tender balladry. "Tour-de-force" may be the best way to describe it, it also happens to be remarkably beautiful in a very original way.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Alone Again"-Bill Evans, December 18, 2008

By 

David L. Stoler "dstol88" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alone Again (Audio CD)

For me, this recording ranks as one of the greatest in the solo piano idiom. Each song is essentially "in a vacuum", meaning that there are no lapses of continuity. The recording quality is typical of Fantasy label's piano sound of the time-heavy emphasis on the upper frequency range, but not shrill. As has been mentioned already, "People" is a tour-de-force rendering and is a must listen for all jazz piano enthusiasts. It should also be mentioned that Evans modulates the key in each arrangement, which adds depth and interest.