Customer Reviews

Bill Evans Album

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I bought this album when it was released in 1971. It's still one of his best, and my favorite, displaying his unique lyrical style using upper harmonic tensions via broken chord and block chord instrumental form, and richly textured bass lines during solo preludes. Interestingly, Bill uses the Rhodes electric piano as though it's an additional instrument in the band, so it's really a quartet, not a trio! Twenty years after his death, pianists still wrestle with understanding his musical conception and approach, including me. This album represents that conception more clearly than any other, and should be studied by all serious jazz pianists. Other than that, it's one of the most enjoyable to listen to. The recording engineering is exquisite, unlike many of his other albums, (sigh), and his playing is spot on.

I've had this album for almost a decade and it is still my alltime favorite Bill Evans recording. The use of the rhodes is very tasteful. The version of Waltz for Debby is completely flawless. How can you go wrong? Its a cd of all Bill Evans originals with the Gomez trio, in my mind the most exciting of his trios. For most of the cd, it just flat-out swings. Its not necessarily stereo-typical Bill Evans, but its definitely reminiscent of the Montreaux Concert and Vanguard Sessions (California Here I Come) a few years before. Its no wonder it picked up several grammies in 71!

"The new Bill Evans album keeps changing." So read the half page ad on in the November 25, 1971 issue of the music magazine ROLLING STONE, and they were right about this collection of Evans' originals, for which he won TWO Grammy awards that year. It's like a whole bunch of new albums in one album, the ad continued. The sessions do have that special imprint of Bill's compositional genius, and in its own way, the effect of the whole sounds like its "always changing" -- due, I suppose, to the ever-whirling colorful content of Bill's tunes. "The Bill Evans Album" is one of the pianist's strongest mid-period dates, with Bill clearly in coherent and melodic form, playing all his own compositions on acoustic and electric piano. Repeated listenings are richly and unexpectedly rewarding, and this trio session (with Eddie Gomex and Marty Morrell) remains as fresh today as it was in 1971. And with three bonus alternate tracks to boot! All in all, if one were allowed, let's say, only five Evans albums (a most unpleasant choice) I would think this would have to be one of them. Bill's singular vision, flawless line construction, lavish chordal tapestries , trio interplay, and the timeless beauty of his compositions are just a few of the reasons why. If you've come this far you're obviously more than a casual listener. This is one CD you just can't afford to be without.

This was the first Evans album I ever owned, back when I was 12, and I was hooked. All these years and 30 Evans albums later I still come back to it as one of my favorites. Just look at the tracks and you'll see it's a collection of some of his greatest compositions. This is a very accessible recording, mostly light and upbeat in tone. I was lucky enough to see him perform live many times all thru the 70s and up until a couple of weeks before he died. Sublime. They are some of my fondest memories. This should be in ever Evans fan's collection.

This is a classic little heard Bill Evans album from 1971 that is well worth adding to your collection. Its distinctive feature is Evans use of a Fender Rhodes Electric Piano on the album. However on most tracks Evans swaps from electric Piano to Accoustic Piano, so 4 minutes into Funkellero he's playing Accoustic having stated the theme and played the first solo on electric.

Where this technique is used to best effect is on his most famous tune 'Waltz For Debby'. The version on this album is my favourite of the many I have. He starts it with solo accoustic Piano, and its as beautiful a version of the theme as you'll ever hear. The first solo is very restrained and played on electric, then after a typically brilliant Eddie Gomez solo he finishes with a much faster 4/4 accoustic Piano solo which seamlessly becomes the tune again. This is seven minutes of absolute magic.

The remaining musician on this album is Marty Morrell on Drums.

The rest of the album is of a similar high standard, so if you're an Evans fan you should get this. If you've got no Bill Evans in you're collection then only the Scott LaFaro trio records from ten years earlier and perhaps the 1968 live at Montreux recording are more essential than this recording.

If you don't want to pay $50 for a used, out-of-print copy, but still want the album, you can get it for $9.90 on iTunes.