Customer Reviews

Bill Evans Plays for Lovers

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a fan of old standards,(30s,40s,50s)done in a manner that allows me to relax and reflect. Evans does a great job in providing the musical surroundings that fit me to a tee. A man who plays in a style where you can almost feel his pain,as he laments his predicament of life feeling helpless to do anything but give into the drugs that affected his life as a musician. "Spring is Here", is an example of of this lament. Opening with a command of the simple yet clear deminished chords of lamenting opening to restrained the brighter chords that say to me that he understands the newness that Spring promises, to others but not to him. If you are one who looks for a recording to cogitate with but not be overwhelmed in the process this is a great album for you.

Ernie Dossin

If you are hip to Bill Evans then you will love this album. Because then you already know that no one played ballads quite the way Bill Evans did. And this is an album of ballads. But even if you are not familiar with with Mr. Evans this is a wonderful album to discover his particular and timeless musical magic. His sensibility touched a realm musically, that I don't believe anyone, in Jazz, other than Mr. Evans ever approached in quite the same way. His sense of beauty, his touch - express a quality, his all alone. This is Jazz at the highest level. But, not only. Because his playing contains influences/reverberations that are (also): classical. There is, and its especially true in his playing of ballads, a quality of musical expression that is distilled, pared down, cut to the bone,leaving nothing extraneous - only the heart itself - of BEAUTY, that is offered to the listener. My favorite example of this is on this album: his exquisite rendering of Young and Foolish. But, not only. Listen to any of the other tunes on this cd: When I Fall In Love/Haunted Heart/Spring Is Here/ Blue In Green/ Easy Living/ Polkadots And Moonbeams/ Easy To Love/ I Wish I knew/ Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be)/My Foolish Heart, and you'll know why its titled Bill Evans Plays For Lovers. He did, does, and always will. These selections are from the Riverside recordings of the late 1950's and early 1960's, and are as the liner notes indicate "often regarded as the cornerstone of his influence." Amen. Highly recommended.

The epitome of "classic jazz," this gem effortlessly earns a Five Star rating.

I only recently discovered the late, great Bill Evans, but he's left the world a legacy of music and musicianship with few equals. "Bill Evans Plays for Lovers" is the first album of his I bought, and it's now one of the two dozen other Bill Evans albums I've since bought from Amazon.

The music on this album--piano, acoustic bass, drums--is remarkable for its spare arrangements, moving melodies, and the non-intrusive, yet insistent intimacy it evokes. My girl and I love the atmosphere this album provides, whether we're gazing into the fireplace, enjoying a cocktail and quiet conversation, giving a massage, or indulging in other, more intimate activities.

Can't imagine anyone being able to resist the appeal of this wonderfully warm album. Enjoy the quiet beauty, my friends.

Loved this CD....one of my favorite piano CD's. A great compilation of ballads by Evans...