Interplay

Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000YH9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,534 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bill Evans Leading a Quintet!, October 7, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Interplay (Audio CD)

You may be slightly put off the first time you listen to this CD if you're only familiar with Bill Evans in a trio or from 'Kind of Blue'. The combination is unusual, maybe even unique, for Evans and it may take a few tracks to adjust. But if you haven't embraced this CD by the last notes of 'When You Wish Upon a Star', then the blues 'Interplay' will nail it for you. Some critics have pooh-poohed Evans' ability by saying he couldn't swing. I really don't understand that criticism at all, but for those who contend Evans couldn't play the blues, 'Interplay', which Evans wrote, proves he could. The personnel are all first rate, particularly Jim Hall and one of my favorite drummers, the fantastic Philly Joe Jones. The others, Freddie Hubbard and Percy Heath, are up to their usual high quality, too. My favorite tracks are 'Interplay', 'Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams', and 'When You Wish Upon a Star'.

This disc, like so many of Bill Evans' works, is one of those that one can be enjoyed over and over. Even so, I have been listening to Evans' music for many years and I don't recall meeting anyone who owns this CD. That may be due to the fact that many view it as an experiment that failed given that Evans didn't lead another quintet like this again. I don't know if Evans and the other players considered it an experiment, but it surely was no failure. It is one of my five favorite Evans CDs.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare quintet date, September 19, 2001

By 

Michael St John (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Interplay (Audio CD)

This one really should be better known than it is, if only because it shows off Bill Evans in a rare quintet context. Rarer still, that he led the session. Imagine how the Miles Davis band circa '56-58 might have sounded with a guitarist (here, Jim Hall) instead of Coltrane, and you'll have a fair idea of what to expect from this '62 date. Freddie Hubbard does his best muted Miles impression, and the presence of Evans and Philly Joe Jones only helps complete the illusion that you've discovered some lost Miles session.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Underated Masterpiece!, February 25, 2007

By 

JoeyD (los gatos, ca) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Interplay (Audio CD)

I purchased this excited because it had such a great line-up. It's hard to turn down anything with Bill Evans and then once you throw Freddie Hubbard in the mix, forget about it, you know it's gotta to be great. Not to mention the rest of the quintet - Jim Hall, Percy Heath , and of course Philly Joe Jones - not to shabby to say the least! Jones seems to be the guy everybody else feeds off of, especially Evans. This one cooks! And it even exceeded my great expectations. Did Bill Evans ever not make a great album every time as a leader? This is one is no exception.

Freddie Hubbard is the man! He is so great on this album that any fan of his needs to make this purchase. Heath and Jones make up an all-star rythym section and the chemistry between the two shines. And Hall is just his steady, lyrical self which is a perfect fit. Bottom line, all of them deliver and I just can't figure out why this album isn't more popular than it is.

All in all, add this one to the Bill Evans classics archive. I wish I would have found this much sooner than I did. It's right up there with "Waltz for Debbie", "Sunday at the Village Vanguard", "Portrait in Jazz", etc...etc...! I think it's easy to sometimes forget just how many amazing albums this great talent had. Thank you Bill for bringing so much joy to my life!