Customer Reviews

You're Gonna Hear From Me

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This may be an overlooked gem in the Evans discography, as it was first released early in the CD era, well before the big boxed sets that got lots of press in the 1990s and into this decade.

It's a November, 1969 club date recorded in Copenhagen with Eddie Gomez and Marty Morrell, who had been playing together over a year at this point as Bill's rhythm section. What I particularly like about this disc (and the companion CD "Jazzhouse") is that for whatever reason, Bill plays more like his 1961-1965 self than the busier and generally faster style he developed in the 1970s (some of this could be related to the intimate club atmosphere, or perhaps just Bill's mood that night).

Eddie Gomez plays some technically stunning lines--check out his asides on Nardis--along with plenty of melodic, non-showy lines. On this session, he doesn't wear out his welcome with overlong solos or arco solos that spoil the mood. Marty Morrell is as usual solid without drawing attention to his playing. Of the two CDs released from this show, this one is a little stronger than Jazzhouse, mainly because of a slightly stronger set of tunes. But both are worth getting, and better than the live material released by Fantasy in the early 1970s.

I think the stars were basically in alignment on this cold winter night--Bill's music on this record is the aural equivalent of a toasty fire or a sip of fine scotch going down the gullet (in college, when I played this in my dorm, a couple of people asked me if it was Vince Guaraldi!). He probably doesn't reach the level of poetry he displayed in June of 1961, but he's not far off.

Bill Evans is a legimitate classicist composer. Some of the greatest composers wrote transciptions. In particular, this album's arrangement of Monk's 'Round Midnight, has a depth of poignancy that is astonishing. Since it has been transcribed and published every serious pianist ought to study it.

this recording is live - in one of the pieces you can even hear people talking in the background ....
my main interest in the recording was 'round midnight - a note for note transcription of which is readily available