At the Montreaux Jazz Festival (Dig) [Original recording remastered, Live]

Bill Evans | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 24, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Live
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000069NC
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,734 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bill at his most intense., February 16, 1999

By 

Nicholas Fox - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Montreaux Jazz Festival (Dig) (Audio CD)

For all of you jazz fans out there who, unfortunately, think of Bill Evans as the lush, smooth, romantic stylist, this album will come in as a shock. Evans turns in an absolutely powerhouse, intense performance; he swings the hardest he ever did, and his melodic lines are more acerbic and biting than usual. His chording is also much more dry and tense; it's almost like he had been jamming with Herbie Hancock before the concert. Sometimes his solos are hysterically intense, as on "Someday My Prince Will Come." Of course, having Jack De Johnette's angular, disjointed drumming contributes mightily to this previously unseen element in Evans' style. This album should disprove the lingering image of Evans as the "cocktail pianist" among great jazz keyboardists.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic!, October 24, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At the Montreaux Jazz Festival (Dig) (Audio CD)

We are fortunate to have a wealth of fine performances by Bill Evans to enjoy. Standouts are almost all of the Riverside trio performances (including the benchmark Village Vanguard discs with Scott Lefaro and Paul Motian), as well as the superb "Turn Out The Stars" box set with his last trio featuring Marc Johnson on bass and Joe Labara on drums.
"At The Montreux Jazz Festival" ranks with these stellar recordings. Jack DeJohnette is, in my opinion, one of the finest drummers (and musicians) we have, and even at this early stage (1968)he is mature and musical like almost no one else can be. Gomez was at a career high, and Evans's playing exceeds his usual fantastic standards.
Verve did a fine job with the 20 bit remastering, and included the entire set list.
Any fan of jazz piano trios should have this disc!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Evans best, July 17, 2008

By 

S J Buck (Kent, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At the Montreaux Jazz Festival (Dig) (Audio CD)

There have been a multitude of recordings from the Montreux Jazz Festival over the years. This is one of the first I ever heard and it remains my favourite. From the introductions to the trio in French (which somehow adds to the magic of the recording) right through to the last notes this is a classic recording.

The trio with Jack De Johnette and Eddie Gomez only existed for a short period of time but you'd never guess it from these recordings. The recording quality is crisp and sharp, baring in mind its 40 years old and the selection of material is an eclectic mixture of standards with a couple of Evans own originals (One for Helen & Walkin' Up) thrown in for good measure.

Highlights for me are the wonderful solo Piano rendition of 'I Loves You Porgy', which is the finest version of this Gershwin classic I know regardless of music genre. You can hear Evans marvellous touch and beautiful phrasing throughout this track. Second favourite is a surprisingly fiery version of 'Someday My Prince Will Come'.

Be in no doubt there are no weak tracks on this album and highlights abound thoughout it. Only time prevents me from writing about every single track.