Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Bill Evans | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000Y47
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,105 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical, swinging, modal jazz - this CD has it all., July 25, 2000

By 

Tim Smith "Tim Smith" (Bonney Lake, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everybody Digs Bill Evans (Audio CD)

I grew up in a home where I was exposed to great piano jazz. My father himself played jazz piano in the home and I also had the privilege of hearing recordings of many of the greats on vinyl: Art Tatum, Nat Cole, Errol Garner, George Shearing, Oscar Peterson, Teddy Wilson, etc. One day my father put on a record that, to me, sounded like some guy practicing chords. But what chords! My father told me that this was a fellow named Bill Evans, and that nobody played like him. He bought a scorebook of Bill Evans compositions and vainly tried to play them despite the fact he couldn't read music. The music looked deceptively simple. How could two hands make such beautiful music from so few dots and lines?

The only answer is that Bill Evans had a gift that for too short a time he shared with us mere mortals. Even though his gifts near the end of his life were, in my opinion, somewhat squandered, this album remains for me one of my favorites of all his albums. This is more than just a fine album - it is a showcase for Evans' formidable gifts as composer, arranger and player. He was only 29 years old when this was released, and it gave ample evidence of the greatness that was to follow. If you think it is impossible to play beautiful piano without touching the keys, listen to 'What is There to Say.' Evans seems to beckon this song out of the piano. It's impossible to believe something so lovely could be derived from hammers hitting strings.

Every time I play it, after each track I think, "THAT'S my favorite track on the album." You really can't go wrong, just pick one and listen. Every single track has something to recommend it. If forced I would have to say that the tracks I find myself listening to the most are 'Young and Foolish', 'Night and Day' (Jones' drumming is flat out fun!) and 'What is There to Say'. I even hesitated about writing the last sentence for fear that it would be construed that some of the tracks weren't as good as the others. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The only bad time to listen to this CD would be, probably, during a WWF match. But what are you doing watching that garbage anyway?

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody can't help but dig That Sound, July 12, 2001

By 

Frank Sellin "political scientist" (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everybody Digs Bill Evans (Audio CD)

I just have to rank this album right alongside _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_ and _Waltz for Debby_ for top form stuff. Unlike those two albums recorded live on a Vanguard gig, this is Bill's definitive, untouchably gorgeous, sensitive sound in the studio.

My god...that sound! "Minority" is awesome to hear Evans in full orchestral mode with his trademark dense chords on the head of a wonderful, uptempo tune. "Young and Foolish" (with the trio) and "Lucky To Be Me" (solo Bill) are the exquisite, highlight ballads, particularly the way he closes "Lucky". "Tenderly", a waltz, is not far behind, along with "What Is There To Say?". No one plays great music off the sentimental heartstrings better than Bill on standards; just try to keep him from coaxing the tears and memories out of you. He does it without a hint of sappiness, but overflowing with fresh interpretation, awareness, and sincerity. I've said it before and I'll say it again: that ungodly touch of his on the keys is unparalleled acoustic beauty. There's a reason why he's revered by pianists, and even some of us guitarists. :-)

The first few chords of "Peace Piece" sound to my ears like the genesis of Miles' subsequently recorded "Flamenco Sketches" on _Kind of Blue_, but who cares, even if true, it doesn't detract from either. This solo effort, like the ballads, will leave you amazed at the powers of introspection of someone quite possibly more human than the rest of us, and willing to share it.

This trio more than gives the _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_/_Waltz for Debby_ trio a run for its money. Sam Jones on bass doesn't take such a commanding, prominent role as Scott La Faro, but swings and drives just as mightily, working so well with Philly Joe. As for the latter...man, let's just say Philly Joe was Bill's recognized favorite drummer for a damned good reason, namely being one of the best bop *and* cool drummers ever to walk the planet. As much as I love Elvin, Blakey, Tony Williams, Klook, or Roach, Philly's probably got my vote, too.

_Night and Day_ in particular features Philly threatening to mix hard-bop raucous and Latin on his rims, dancing around Bill latching onto the nod-ya-head cool groove, while Sam takes full advantage of his featured breaks and trades with the other two. The Sonny Rollins tune "Oleo" also makes your day, to hear this trio handle the informal jazz tradition of "rhythm changes." (For the uninitiated, "rhythm changes" refer to any tune that is more or less based off of the harmonic progression and form of Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm," though frequently reharmonized and otherwise abused :-); Oleo in particular has a nifty, rhythmically challenging head that makes it a favorite with musicians).

No question, this album marked a pioneering step into the inner beyond that all jazz musicians and their audiences would love to reach. Dig it alone, or with your significant other over a glass of equally rich wine, and you can thank me later. :)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A crossroads, March 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Everybody Digs Bill Evans (Audio CD)

This album reflects a crossroads in Bill's career. Bill had two current's flowing--his romantic style and his bop style. His prior album New Conceptions, which caused a stir, was almost a hard bop album. His lines at that point reflected Horace Silver's influence. Hard driving, mostly right hand extremely long lines; the ballads were somewhat arranged and not with his characteristic emotion. He knew he had more work to do (rec hiatus for almost 2 years)
With Everybody Digs however, Bill hit his stride. He had tempered and became more choice with his vocabulary-around this time he was a member of Miles Davis group. Oleo is a stunning effort. It is bop based, but it is a highly original take on it. None of his contemporaries were quite able to take the bebop idiom and loosen it up from Powell's reigns in terms of a new direction. This harder driving style on this record(a la All About Rosie/George Russell) as other reviewers commented seem to have been abandoned after the 50's. You see a little of it on Undercurrents on
Funny Valentine.
The ballads--lucky to be me, what is there to say. That ballad touch--so characteristic and identifiable was now permanently stamped to vinyl. And Peace, Peace is really a wild experiment with fantastic results. Bill could often be very tidy and preprogrammed but when he did odd things like this he really showed his unique depth. Another example of Bill's capricious and often humorous side can be seen on "With a Song in My Heart" from Empathy with Shelly Manne and Monty Budwig. Anybody interested in this period of bill's playing would be interested in checking out his work as a sideman with Dave Pike, Art Farmer, Charlie Mingus and Eddie Costa.