We
don't have an Advisory Board or any such thing, but we want
to give a SPECIAL THANKS to the following friends of this website
who have long been been very supportive with their emails, news
items, suggestions and genuine love and concern for Bill Evans'
musical legacy:
Welcome to billevanswebpages.com,,
the Web's most visited site for pianist Bill Evans
For
TEN YEARS, this website has been dedicated to the life and
music of pianist and composer BILL EVANS (1929 -1980), one
of the most important and influential musicians in all of
jazz history. News, CD and DVD reviews, essays and articles,
recording catalog, interviews, sidemen info, sound samples,
biography, etc. . We
try to update at least once every few weeks, as circumstances
warrant, so come by again soon
.We
welcome you to send email
with your comments or questions...or any reviews
or articles you may want us to consider for inclusion on
this website. All will be read and answered as time permits.
Please PUT "EVANS" OR "BILL EVANS "
IN THE SUBJECT LINE, so it doesn't get tossed into my spam
folder by an email bot. Thank you!
-- Jan Stevens, pianist and website
editor
PLEASE
RELOAD OR REFRESH YOUR BROWSER
FOR THE LATEST CONTENT!
"THE
HARMONY OF BILL EVANS- VOL. 2" Book / CD
by Jack Reilly is now available
Hal Leonard, Inc. (the world's largest music publisher)has now released the new book "The Harmony
of Bill Evans, Vol. 2" by master pianist -composerJack
Reilly. (with
Foreward by yours truly, Jan
Stevens). Bill Evans died in 1980
but the compositional legacy he left behind is forever expanding.
This expansive study shows why!
In
Jack Reilly's second volume, he provides a deeper appreciation
and understanding of Evans' compositions. Thisbook and CD package (only $29.99
USD) includes two important and intensive theory chapters
(which would fit well in even a non-Evans context), plus ten
of Evans’ most passionate and melodically gorgeous works.
The voicing charts for all ten songs are more complex than
in volume one and pianistically more demanding, yet always
worth the effort. The subjects of modulation and key relationships
that are discussed in each chapter will help the player memorize
faster and improvise with more facility; not an easy task
when performing Evans' music.
The
"Lament for Bill" in chapter 13 is the author's
tribute to the genius of this great artist.
This
will open in a new window as an MP3 automatically,
depending on how your browser is set, or in some cases,
by RealPlayer or QuickTime.If,
in Winows Explorer you get an "Active X"
warning, click OPTIONS and "allow blocked content".
This is also true for the video on this page. There
is nothing here that wll "harm your computer"!
The
accompanying CD will add to the enjoyment, understanding,
and appreciation of the written examples. Having composed
the book's Foreward, I have also worked through much ofthe manuscript, and discussed it with the author,
and can tell you that this a powerhouse book that will prove
to be a deep and indispensible experience for pianists of
all stylistic persuasions as well as serious Evans fans. There
is much to learn and enjoy here!
Songs
include: Your
Story • Laurie •For
Nenette • My Bells • Maxine • Song for Helen
• Turn Out the Stars • Very Early • Waltz
for Debby • and more!
Paperback:
112 pages plus CD
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation; Pap/Com edition
Preface and Introduction by Jack Reilly
Foreward by Jan Stevens
ISBN-10: 1423465865
ISBN-13: 978-1423465867
You'll
want to check out the new"NOTES ON JAZZ"
blog interview Jack did with Ralph A. Mairiello about
the book here
And
for those unfamiliar with "Harmony of Bill Evans
VOL.1" by Jack Reilly, you can find
out more here,or read our
own interview with Jack
here.
"Symbiosis"
- 2nd movement: BIll Evans with Claus Ogerman and Orchestra
We post
this video here, since it is one the most beautiful creations
to come out of the Bill Evans catalog and a simply gorgeous
Ogerman orchestration. Why is this album among the most negleted
of Bill's career? The performance, as you will hea,r is heartfelt,
touching and beautifully played! (A portion of this section
was used in a pivotal point in the plot of the 2005 film "Sideways")
Library of Congress' National Recording Registry honors Bill
Evans
June
23, 2010: The Library of Congress announced its 25 new additions
to the National Recording Registry.
"Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation
Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library’s
National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), is tasked with
selecting 25 recordings that are "culturally, historically,
or aesthetically significant" and are at least 10 years
old. The selections for the 2009 registry bring the total
number of recordings to 300."
[From
the press release]: "The Complete Village Vanguard
Recordings: Bill Evans Trio. All five sets performed
by the Bill Evans Trio on June 25, 1961, at the Village Vanguard
club in New York City were recorded, resulting in what are
recognized as some of the greatest live recordings in the
history of jazz. The trio, consisting of Bill Evans
(piano), Paul Motian (drums) and Scott LaFaro (bass), has
been credited with redefining jazz piano trios by including
the bass and drums as equal partners rather than a rhythm
section accompanying a piano soloist. The performances were
the last by this lineup of the trio because LaFaro was tragically
killed in a car crash ten days later. Producer Orrin Keepnews
has recalled, "I remember listening to the tapes and
saying, ‘There's nothing bad here!’" Complete
recordings of all five sets were released in 2005."
Legendary
Steinway D piano ("Kind of Blue") up for sale
I
was contacted by Ms. Tara Hemsey, who sent the following
information:After more then 25 years in business New York
City's renowned Clinton Recording Studios is closing its
doors. In addition to it's impressive history as the studio
of choice for a wide array of top artists Clinton is also
the home of the legendary Steinway D piano from the
former Columbia's 30th Street Studios . Due to the
Clinton studio's closing, this extraordinary historical
instrument is now for sale. This piano
was featured on a number of notable recordings.
It was played by Bill Evans for Miles Davis' "Kind
of Blue" [and Columbia's "Bill Evans Album"
and "Living Time"], Dave Brubeck on
the "Time Out" album ("Take Five")
, and Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations LP. It
has also been a part of countless other projects done
by artists such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Dave
Grusin to name a few. Serious inquries only to:
clintonrecording@aol.com
New
CD release: Bill Evans Trio and Guests:Nice,
1978
Here's
another "unusual" European release, this time a
2-disc CD set from "1101 Distribution" (?). A complete
never- before released live performance (recorded in Nice,
France, July 7th, 1978) by Bill with an unusual trio that
never made a studio album (featuring. drummer Philly
Joe Jones and bassist Marc Johnson). Joining them
are Lee Konitz for three amazing quartet
tracks, add Curtis Fuller for a marvelous
quintet version of "Lover Man". Another added combo
is Stan Getz & Christian Escoude with
the trio and Fuller in the finale on "All the Things
You Are". (17
tracks)
TRACKS
AS FOLLOWS:
DISC 1:
1. Nardis
2. Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)
3. Peacocks, The
4. In Your Own Sweet Way
5. On Green Dolphin Street
6. Like Someone in Love
7. You Don't Know What Love Is
8. What Is This Thing Called Love
DISC
2:
1. Lover Man
2. When I Fall in Love
3. All the Things You Are
4. Bill Evans Interviewed by Leonard Feather
5. Peacocks, The
6. Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)
7. Midnight Mood
8. Nardis/Announcement by Bill Evans
Quote
of the Month
"Bill
Evans was one of the most influential musicians in jazz history.
As an improviser, pianist and composer, Evans's singular voice
marks a turning point for jazz piano. His harmonic, melodic
and rhythmic language changed the way pianists approach the
music, and helped to shape the modern rhythm section. With
all his innovations, it's Evans profound emotional depth that
gets to me. Every note he played had meaning: not just what
he played, but how he played it. "
--- Bill Charlap (exclusive for billevanswebpages.com. Thanks,
Bill! -- JS)
New
article : Our review of Jazz at Lincoln Center's
"INTUITION: THE MUSIC OF BILL EVANS" concert With
Bill Charlap, Jim Hall, and the JALC orchestra.
This
CD wasreleased by Gambit (Spain) on March
30. It's taken from a live
LuLu White's jazz club appearance in Boston of the Bill Evans
Trio (Marc Johnson and Joe LaBarbera) and was beautifully
recorded in stereo by Boston, MA jazz station WBGH-FM on October
30, 1979. It is very good sounding recording and
the trio performs quite inspiredly and engaged. Bill sounds
quite focused, clearly inspiredand
simply superb. The session serves as an outstanding example
of the "last trio" in their prime in the intimate
setting of a typical city jazz clubof the
time) . Five stars! The tunes:
RE: PERSON I KNEW (4:10), MIDNIGHT MOOD (6:00), THE
PEACOCKS (6:30), THEME FROM M.A.S.H. (4:35), LAURIE (8:01
), UP WITH THE LARK (6:07), I'M GETTIN' SENTIMENTAL OVER YOU
(4:33), I DO IT FOR YOUR LOVE (6:08 ), MY ROMANCE (8:58)
Perhaps
the most asked question I get in email is where can one
obtain high-quality photos and posters of Bill Evans. Keep
in mind that like music, the photos taken of Bill in his
lifetime are the copyrighted and individually-owned work
of the photographers who took them (or their respective
estates) Thus, only photographers or their agents or representatives,
or those licensed to market these photos may do so.
This
is one reason why this site has never sold, or will sell
or otherwise distribute Evans photographs.
However,
this
site -- allposters.com offers several photos
(primarily album covers, framed and not framed that may
be exactly what some of you have been looking for.
(the
link will take you right to the Bill Evans page there.
Check
them out, and happy hunting!
Bill
Evans -The Complete Catalog of Recordings
A
rich collection of data, arranged chronilogically, of Evans'
recording history. Dates, sidemen and other personnel, etc.
REQUEST:
If any of you have copies of old advertisements of Bill
Evans albums, concerts, club appearances or whatever, (scanned
in .jpg, .gif, .bmp .pdf or most other graphic formats) please
contact me, simply
so we can share them with Evans fans all over the world!
Maybe
we'll give them all a whole page here if we get enough.
They
are an integral part of jazz history and jazz marketing, and
many younger fans have not seen these "remnants" of past times.
I often hear from Bill's fans from many countries who became
aware of his music after his passing, and these would make
for good educational materials! Anyone
contributing copies of same will be fully credited of course.
If you're a real Bill Evans fan, this is YOUR site, and we
want to hear from you! Thanks - JS.
News
from billevans.org
(Reprinted
directly from the site:)
"Over
1000+ pages of materials, bound into four massive compendiums,
now available by appointment. Handwritten music notation,
leadsheets, personal letters & postcards, notes, art,
scribblings, and more. Find out who the person behind the
music really was, and why he made the choices he did, both
musically and for his life. $100* (access for one day) Proceeds
are used for the storage, preservation, and administration
of materials at The Bill Evans Archives."
Contact
info, etc. here
Amazing
FREE download - The complete series of "Letter From Evans"
newsletters from the 1980s
An
incredible resource:
between 1989 -1994, a newsletter dedicated solely to the music
and the life of Bill Evans was published by well-known Evans
historian and bassist Win Hinkle (Those who have appreciated
Bill's work since that time may have seen Win's name included
in both the Peter Pettinger and Keith Shadwick books) "Letter
From Evans" was available by subscription only back then,
but now Win has made all twenty-six issues available online
in .pdf files-- and it's all free!
During
it's five-year run, LFE featured Evans news, album
reviews, commentary, analysis, transcriptions and many exclusiveinterviews done mostly by Win with some folks you just
might have heard of: Keith Jarrett, Marc Johnson, Steve Allen,
Earl Zindars, Joe LaBarbera, Henry Mancini, Chuck Israels,
Mundell Lowe, Jimmy Rowles, Denny Zeitlin, BILL himself and
many others!
A
few of those who contributed articles or reviews included
musicians like Jack
Reilly, Kenny Werner, Hal
Galper, Richie Bierach, Ron Nethercutt and your humble
correspondent, Jan Stevens. Obviously, if you're an Evans
aficianado, or even just a serious jazz fan, you want to see
this stuff.
NOTES,
DISCLAIMERS AND LEGALESE:
NOTE:
The textual information and HTML within is proprietary
content and cannot be copied digitally, electronically
or otherwise for use on the Web or other media without
permission. If you wish to use any content here, (Other
than brief quotes or paragrapgh use under the Fair Use
Doctrine) or have a BLOG, simply email
us for permission before copying reviews and or other
materials. Thank you.
This
tribute website is intended for educational and informational
purposes only. It is a not-for-profit endeavor and we
do not solicit nor accept any contributions, nor do we
sell any products, music transcriptions, ad space, or
other Bill Evans- related or jazz-related services whatsoever.
This website is not affiliated with any record company
or publisher, nor with the Estate of Bill Evans. Any ads
or logos to featured jazz sites are purely promotional
as a recommended site, and are unsolicited and done for
free.
Also: many musicians and fans have contacted us and asked
about obtaining Bill Evans piano transcriptions. Sorry,
but we do not provide these for various copyright reasons.
The webmaster (a pianist) has studied many Evans solo
transcriptions, and various transcriptions by both amateurs
and professionals are available on the Web. Though we
do not endorse or specifically recommend these, you can
see a few links to transcriptions on our LINKS
page and for info on where to purchase music books
of various Evans collections. Many are able to be obtained
from TRO
Music, Inc., distributed by Hal Leonard, Inc., and
other authorized companies which pay licensing fees and
have permissions to reproduce original musical compositions
and transcriptions. We
kindly ask that you please do not email to ask "What album
is "[whatever song] on?". Our discography
of Bill Evans' recording history (1956 through 1980) --though
in need of some updating for recent reissues -- gives
as much detailed and complete information as possible.
Thank you
WE
PROUDLY RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING JAZZ SITES FOR THEIR EXCELLENCE!
The
Bill Evans Webpages site receives abolutely no compensation
or ad revenue from other websites sites represented here.
These websites are mentioned only as recommendations based
on the quality of their content, and their possible interest
to our many site visitors..
"THE
HARMONY OF BILL EVANS- VOL. 2" Book / CD 
by Jan
R. Stevens
Paperback:
112 pages plus CD
June
23, 2010: The Library of Congress announced its 25 new additions
to the National Recording Registry.
This
CD was released by Gambit (Spain) on March
30. It's taken from a live
LuLu White's jazz club appearance in Boston of the Bill Evans
Trio (Marc Johnson and Joe LaBarbera) and was beautifully
recorded in stereo by Boston, MA jazz station WBGH-FM on October
30, 1979. It is very good sounding recording and
the trio performs quite inspiredly and engaged. Bill sounds
quite focused, clearly inspired and
simply superb. The session serves as an outstanding example
of the "last trio" in their prime in the intimate
setting of a typical city jazz club of the
time) . Five stars! The tunes:
Perhaps
the most asked question I get in email is where can one
obtain high-quality photos and posters of Bill Evans. Keep
in mind that like music, the photos taken of Bill in his
lifetime are the copyrighted and individually-owned work
of the photographers who took them (or their respective
estates) Thus, only photographers or their agents or representatives,
or those licensed to market these photos may do so.
This
is one reason why this site has never sold, or will sell
or otherwise distribute Evans photographs. 
An
incredible resource:
between 1989 -1994, a newsletter dedicated solely to the music
and the life of Bill Evans was published by well-known Evans
historian and bassist Win Hinkle (Those who have appreciated
Bill's work since that time may have seen Win's name included
in both the Peter Pettinger and Keith Shadwick books) "Letter
From Evans" was available by subscription only back then,
but now Win has made all twenty-six issues available online
in .pdf files-- and it's all free! 
