The Complete Bill Evans on Verve [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Bill Evans

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 1997)
• Original Release Date: October 7, 1997
• Number of Discs: 18
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000047DA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #137,221 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The 18 CDs in this exhaustive set provide a comprehensive picture of Bill Evans from 1962 to 1969, a period when the pianist was both consolidating his fame and sometimes taking his music into untested waters, from unaccompanied piano to symphony orchestra. His work with multitracked solo piano, originally released as Conversations with Myself and the later Further Conversations with Myself, was the most remarkable new format for his introspective music. It gave Evans a way to be all the pianists he could be at once--combining densely chordal, harmonically oblique parts with surprising, rhythmic punctuation and darting, exploratory runs. Two dates with drummer Shelly Manne, in 1962 and 1966, reveal the stimulus Evans could find in a new playing relationship, as does the final disc with flutist Jeremy Steig. Evans also revisited significant earlier musical relationships. The Village Vanguard recordings from 1967 reunite him with the great drummer Philly Joe Jones, whose extroverted, polyrhythmic approach always worked wonderfully with the pianist's more introverted style. Along with the virtuosic young bassist Eddie Gomez, they make up one of the most stimulating of the many trios that Evans led throughout his career. There's also a superb set of duets with guitarist Jim Hall, another of Evans's most closely attuned musical partners. Evans's recordings with a symphony orchestra are marred by conductor Claus Ogermann's ponderous arrangements, and some false starts and multiple takes will appeal only to completists, but there are tremendous musical riches here. The set is packaged in an unfinished metal box designed to rust into an original object, but Evans's own originality is apparent everywhere. --Stuart Broomer

Product Description
The packaging for this box set is made of untreated steel and is designed to be a unique, collectible object itself which will change in color, texture and appearance over time, and will rust.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The package, December 5, 2002

By A Customer

Okay, I'm going to break the rules here a little (hey, I'm a good customer--Amazon will forgive me). I want to tell you about my experience with the metal box--a real work of art. Anyway, we've heard that the music here is just super. Bill Evans always seemed to deliver. Now, I bought the set today, but we all know that it's been around a while (1997). When I receaved mine, I had to open it with an old t-shirt on so I wouldn't ruin any good clothes (the rust was everywhere. Then, I thought well it might be nice to hear some of the music. Now we have the problem of first opening the deadly sharp metal box, finding another somewhat less rusty metal disc holder to deal with, then trying to get the discs out of that without droping them on the floor as they flop unexpectedly from the inner metal disc holder. My answer to this mess: I'll put the discs in a CD wallet and put the "beautiful" box on display (away from other discs so that it will not continue to do that much loved rust thing all over my expensive collection on Japanese imports. Five stars for the music, or course. And another five for the worst concept in box sets ever.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here's my method to deal with the package, June 11, 2003

By	J. T. Murphy "jtmurphy4" (Jazz heaven, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like all of the other reviewers, I love the music on this set of 18 CDs. But the package is absolutely ridiculous!!!

Here's what I did about it. First there are two problems with the packaging: the rusty metal case which gets rust all over my fingers and clothes and the glue from inside the CD sleeves which gets on the CDs and is impossible to get off rendering the CDs unplayable. When I got my first set, I noticed the glue on the CDs. Later, when I tried to play the CDs, the glue caused the laser to skip. I tried to get the glue off but was unable. I contacted Verve records. Although they offered to send me a few replacement discs, they never actually delivered. When I called to follow-up, they just blew me off.

During the time I had this first set, it rusted quite a bit and I got the rust all over my hands and clothes. I returned this set and received a new one. While I was waiting for the new one, I thought about how I was going to deal with the rust. My solution, I purchased a spray can of quick drying lacquer. I thought, as soon as the new package arrives, I'll spray the metal with lacquer.

Great idea! When the new set arrived, it had a little rust on it which I cleaned off with some 000 steel wool then gave it a quick spray of lacquer.

As far as the glue goes, this set also had some glue on the CDs but I was able to clean it off. Now, I don't keep the CDs in the package so I don't get anymore glue on them and the package isn't rusting!

Is this too much to go through for a $300 set?

Verve, just throw the package out!!!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, but make sure you need it., August 19, 2002

By	SC Lai (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews

Without a doubt, Bill Evans' total output on Verve contains some of the greatest jazz ever recorded, period. Within are the milestones (discs 2 & 12-"Conversations with Myself" and "Further Conversations"), the sublime (discs 9 & 10-"Live at Town Hall" and "Intermodulation" duets with Jim Hall), and a lot of repetetive, more ordinary things (disc 7 with vocalist Monica Zetterlund). So if you aren't a hard-core collector who appreciates all the outtakes (many gems on discs 16-18, "From Left to Right" outtakes) and different live versions of the same tunes, I suggest buying the individual masterpieces. The too-cute case and packaging is hard to use. Mine is rusted already, and tough to handle.