Customer Reviews

Elegy for Bill Evans

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This is, in my opinion, the definitive Richie Beirach album. A tribute to Bill Evans, this album presents Beirach's unique sound over six tunes Evans performed regularly.

Beirach's phrasing and melodic ideas are truly original and he is supported strongly by Al Foster and George Mraz. This record lead me to investigate Beirach's vast body of work with Dave Liebman, et al. Richie's playing is alternately beautiful and dark with complex harmonic movements and improvisations. The great thing is to hear how Richie inserts his style into standard compositions.

Get this. It's worth the money.

While there may be other gifted pianists out there who aspire towards the flame by which Evans legacy burns so brightly,it may very well be Richie Beirach who most deserves to be the keeper of the Evans torch.

True, there are those whose playing superficially seems closer to the Evans world; Andy Laverne or the late Michel Petrucianni quickly come to mind. Yet it was Beirach who most successfully took the Evans language and incorporated it into his own musical vision, which seem to include Bartok and Mompou as much as Evans and Monk. Beirach has the touch, the grace and the pianistic refinement to do this music justice, as well as the artistry and intelligence to take the towering Evans legacy and metabolize it into his own musical vocabulary, where it emerges as his own authentic voice. This CD, unfortunately only available as an overpriced Japanese import is one of the most articulate and reverential testaments to the immortal beauty of Evans gifts and those of Mr Richie Beirach, probably one the most underated musicians of his generation.

I love Richie Beirach, but this is as good as it gets with him. True to the album title, these are all tunes with strong associations with Bill Evans.

With George Mraz and Al Foster filling out the trio, you'd expect it to be a good album. But it's a great album. Probably one of the few tributes to Bill Evans that is artistically on a par with Evans' own output.

In fact, the similarities between some of Evans' last live recordings and some of the vocabulary Beirach uses might seem derivative to some. But an educated ear would not mistake this for Bill Evans, and anyone familiar with Beirach's other records will recognize his own unique voice throughout. Thus, it becomes a true tribute, a virtuoso saying, basically, 'I owe it to you, Bill.'

The price tag hangs up a lot of people. While on general principles I think CDs are overpriced, it's a matter of the market not appreciating this jewel that you have to buy it as a Japanese import. There's even bilingual labeling on it, though the jacket art is a replica of the LP. (You almost need a loop to read the jacket notes on the back, an interview where Beirach discusses his personal interaction with Bill, among other things).

Also, for the audiophiles out there, this is no hatchet-job remastering. The sound is rich, true and warm. While you might not fool someone who knows Bill Evans and Richie Beirach about who was at the piano, you could probably pass it off as a Rudy Van Gelder reissue.

Yup, I've got all the Blue Note and Impulse historic classics and I think this recording rates up there with all of them. Richie has a voice all his own, and he's been a huge influence on an untold number of pianists, guitarists, reed players, you name it.

Beirach told me he used to drive to Bill Evans' home in NJ on weekends to jam with him. So there was certainly some exchange of ideas. It's also true that Beirach, as an under-aged youngster, sneaked into the Village Vanguard and was in attendance at the epic Bill Evans Trio Sunday at Village Vanguard sessions. So, if anyone has a claim to be the torchbearer for Evans, Beirach is the one. This recording is faithful to the spirit of Evans both technically and artistically. It's one of Richie's best. Add George Mraz and Al Foster, and it comprises one of the best jazz trio recordings ever.