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I have developed an appreciation for Bill Evans. He has to be the embodiment of a "lyrical player." Its like he is playing with my ears, teasing and leading them to the next musical idea.
Is there a guitar player that you can think of that plays lines this way with the same beauty?
His music is very hard for me to describe.Last edited by AlsoRan; 10-29-2014 at 08:41 PM. Reason: spelling
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10-27-2014 10:33 AM
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Besides me, no....
Jokes aside, Bill Evans to me was pretty unique with his lyricism and incisive clarity.
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I guess Lenny Breau always gets compared...I suppose I see it, on the pretty side. But Bill was so much more than a pretty ballads player. He could swing like mad, play these endless lines, these strings of hard-swung eighths....Sometimes I think people heard Kind of Blue and based their whole perception of Evans on that record...
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I am pulling out my "Kind of Blue" Cd right now and inserting it into my desktop CD player, and I will focus on Bill's playing.
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Cool, but go beyond KOB!!!!
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Jim Hall.
and I think they made 3 or 4 lps together, 2 as a duo.
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When Ralph Towner was developing his guitar style he transcribed Bill Evan solos ( he also plays piano) and based his playing on that.
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I would say Mike Miller who is a great guitarist musician that not many are aware of. I remember when he first came to L.A. back in the early 70's and played with everyone and Flowler Brothers band and lot of session work. He played with Chick Corea for awhile and then taught at GIT for many years and teaching at LAMA now. From living and working with the Flowler brother has ears are scary good. You can take your fist and hit clusters on a piano and he will tell you every note hit. Mike's chordal work very Bill Evans inspired full of close voicings, inner voice movement, and voice leading. I wish he wasn't such a guitarist's guitarist's guitarist and more knew of his playing. I hired him to do guitar clinic at the music school and one of the students asked his who his favourite guitarist was. He said Bill Evans leaving the students scratching their heads. He said I don't listen to guitarists much I mainly listen to Bill Evans there is so much to learn from Bill.
He has a few Master classes over at Jazz Guitar Society.
http://www.jazzguitarsociety.com/mas...vallic-chords/Last edited by docbop; 10-27-2014 at 11:39 AM.
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Bill Evans started out as a classical pianist and carried much of that over into his jazz playing.
From Wikipedia:
"After high school, in September 1946, Evans attended Southeastern Louisiana University on a flute scholarship.He studied classical piano interpretation with Louis P. Kohnop, John Venettozzi, and Ronald Stetzel.A key part in Evans's development was Gretchen Magee, whose methods of teaching left an important print in his composition style.
"Around his third year in college, Evans composed his first known tune, "Very Early."He was a founding member of SLU's Delta Omega Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, played quarterback for the fraternity's football team, and was part of the college band. In 1950, he performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.3 for his senior recital, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in piano, and Bachelor's in Music Education. Evans regarded the last three years in college as the happiest in his life."
I have a hard time picturing him as a football player...
I agree Jim Hall is the first person that comes to mind. What I appreciate from Bill and Jim is what I appreciate from Miles--the lyricism and the space between the notes or rather the space in which the notes reside, not the speed or the technical virtuosity.
Bill Frisell also impresses me this way. I think a lot of guitarists at times go for an Evans-like approach--McLaughlin has recorded several Evans' pieces including Very Early, and on his acoustic recordings Pat Metheny IMO gets the Evans' ambiance as well.
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I don't think there is any guitarist who could really be compared with Bill Evans. But, my first thought when I heard this was Barry Galbraith for his sheer ability to comp like a pianist.
If you want to see Bill Evans playing with fire...
YouTube George Russell and Billy The Kid. That's a young Bill Evans getting his start...and who is that playing guitar alongside Bill?
If you're interested, check out BG's comping on anything with the Hal McKusick Quartette. Very linear, no block chording there.
My thoughts...
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I think maybe Ed Bickert could be considered as a Bill Evans type of guitar player.
wiz
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Yes! Must have:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Waltz for Debby
Sunday at the Village Vanguard
These (live) albums are amazing for the interaction between Motion, LaFaro and Evans. These are much better examples of Evans than KOB.
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Sadly, I am starting to think you are right. Originally Posted by TheGrandWazoo
I just don't seem to hear his type of lines in the works of any guitarist I can think of. Maybe a little Vic Juris that I vaguely remember hearing.
I'm going to check into the names that have been mentioned thus far. I am starting to wonder if one can replicate his work on a guitars, considering all the notes he can play at once on the piano. He really seemed to fully exploit the piano's potential.
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AlsoRan, I haven't checked out this course myself but thought perhaps you might find it of interest:
A Guitarist's Approach to the Harmony of Bill Evans | Lesson by S | Mike's Master Classes
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Thanks!! Originally Posted by Jazzpunk
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=cfTtjBpIE5E
George starts playing "Piano/guitar" at one minute in in this vidoe with Howard Alden.
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I hear you all about lyricism, incisiveness, breadth and depth, but for me the key notion is 'risk.'
Bill Evans is one of a handful of jazz musician who changed the music as a whole. He had and, decades after his death, has a powerful influence not only on pianists but on everyone who takes this music up. The basic notion of the classic Bill Evans Trio -- "all of us know where 'one' is so none of us need to play 'one' all the time" -- radically, quickly and permanently transformed jazz playing.
For me, the only jazz guitarist who might credibly be said to have that kind of global influence is John McLaughlin. Otherwise, the jazz guitar pond is full of wonderful players but nobody who single-handedly shifts the broader paradigm.
Don't get me wrong -- I love jazz guitar playing as much as anybody else here -- but I challenge you to think of a guitarist who changed the way jazz pianists or tenor-players work.
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I've got 4 CDs of his and I am especially partial to the ones with Scott La Faro. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I am not one to be easily touched by music but as Sam Sherry stated so succintly above, his style is so different from others I have heard.
And as Doctor Jeff stated, he does not do it with flashiness and speed, but with just great note selection.
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I'd say Ed Bickert.
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Ed Bickert ad infinatum!!!
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Ted Greene is another.
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I've heard the same spiritual and harmonic kinship in the playing of the aforementioned Ed Bikert, Lenny Breau, and also Jack Pezanelli, Mick Goodrick, Harry Leahey, many of whom have played with Bill Evans' sidemen over the years. While neither of them play Bill like Bill did, their touch, harmonic vocabulary and approach are very much at home, especially in trio situations.
David
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Some really great stuff going on in there! Originally Posted by GuyBoden
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I haven't heard anyone on guitar who compares to Evans in an apples-to-apples manner. He played a ton of classical music as a youngster and that background was filtered through his jazz playing and his very academic understanding of rootless harmony.
Nobody ever talks about it but my favorite Evans recording is "California Here I Come" with Eddie Gomez and Philly Joe Jones. This was a short-lived but amazing trio. He really swings his butt off on a number of the uptempo tunes in a brilliant, muscular style that's to my ears, more virile and colorful than the Paul Motian/Scott Lafaro Village Vanguard recordings that get all the critical love.
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