The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Everybody Digs is probably the only one I listen to regularly, but not as big of a fan (Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner are probably my top 3 pianists)

    But want to expand

    Get the sense sometimes that due to his addiction, Bill underdelivered relative to what he could have been capable of (more composition, less standards?)

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  3. #2

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    Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby would be a great place to start. I love Undercurrent, but I’ve always gotten the sense that Evans was more of a live player. I don’t have the title handy, but I’ve been listening to the tune Time Remembered a lot over the last year and a half, and I just found an old trio(?) recording where they do a lovely rendition. I also love watching his videos on YouTube.

  4. #3

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    Explorations is one of my favourites.


  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    Explorations is one of my favourites.

    Explorations was my starting point with Bill Evans and it’s still my favorite.

  6. #5

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    I love Everybody Digs... and Undercurrent. I'll listen to Explorations. Love a good recommendation - there's just so much music out there, it's hard to know where to go next.

  7. #6

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    I really like Symbiosis.
    With Eddy Gomez . . . . .

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by BWV
    Everybody Digs is probably the only one I listen to regularly, but not as big of a fan (Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner are probably my top 3 pianists)

    But want to expand

    Get the sense sometimes that due to his addiction, Bill underdelivered relative to what he could have been capable of (more composition, less standards?)
    He under-delivered?
    Are you kidding? There are books of his compositions, some arr. for guitar. He even composed an Octet for Wind Instruments (he started out as a flute player). They've got recordings of him practicing, rehearsing (with Don Elliot), playing with dance bands, even playing for Muzak recordings!
    In the 50s and 60s, he was a sideman on many of the most important records of the time- KIND OF BLUE!, Blues And The Abstract Truth, The Third Stream records with Gunther Schuller ( where he sight read a twelve tone piece by Milton Babbitt-"All Set") All of George Russell's records, Tony Scott records, Hal McKusick records, Art Farmer, Jimmy Knepper, Eddie Costa, Dick Garcia, Joe Puma,Gary McFarland, and other NY musicians of that time.
    After his records with his trios for Riverside, an employee there, Helen Keane took over his career and life. She decided who he should record with, where he should play, all of his expenses, etc...leaving him free to just play.
    Any of his records are good, except the live bootleg recordings taped without his knowledge.

  9. #8

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    Portrait in Jazz is my favourite (this month).

    Can I confess something? OK...

    "Bless me father, for I have sinned" ... "Go on my child"... "Well, when I listen to Bill Evans trio recordings, I fast forward pass the bass solos"..... "You mean even the ones with Scott La Faro?" .... "Yes, I'm afraid"..... "Oh dear"....

  10. #9

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    This one "Green Dolphin Street" I bought on a Japanese cd around 35 yrs ago is probably my favorite.
    I don't think it was released before then, and has Philly Joe sounding superb, check it out.....

    Green Dolphin Street - Bill Evans - YouTube

  11. #10

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    Yeah no way he underdelivered. He died at 49, but had an extremely prolific career including recording albums, standards, and composing. There are all kinds of gems throughout his catalog, even if it might be an unknown album. When I was in college, me and my jazz buddies would pick up a Bill cd and it would always be good. Portrait in Jazz is one of the best albums I've ever heard tho. I recommend to check out the ones with some personnel outside the rhythm section. They can be really good and interesting.




  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by princeplanet
    Can I confess something? OK...

    "Bless me father, for I have sinned" ... "Go on my child"... "Well, when I listen to Bill Evans trio recordings, I fast forward pass the bass solos"..... "You mean even the ones with Scott La Faro?" .... "Yes, I'm afraid"..... "Oh dear"....
    Ehh. Bill's bassists would wank pretty hard. Eddie Gomez is rough as hell to listen to. You hear an onslaught of rhythm and not much melody. Even LaFaro and Chuck Israels. I listened to a lot of Bill in college and loved the bass because I was studying bass then. I heard all the rhythm and didn't really care how much melodic sense it made. Pretty over it now. The tune I posted has LaFaro in the pocket hard tho. No solo just swinging embellished 2 and 4 like a beast.