It’s pretty difficult to describe who Bill Evans is.
Yes, he’s a jazz pianist from the twentieth century; and yes, he’s arguably one of the most influential jazz pianists in the history of jazz itself. But his story is probably one of the most tragic ones despite his success in music.
As you can tell in any of his recordings, Evans was a highly trained classical musician; both of his parents were musicians, and at a young age, he was exposed to composers like Debussy, Milhaud, and Stravinsky. Although he had some experience playing in jazz bands in his adolescence (like filling for his brother in Buddy Valentino’s band), his biggest break came when he was hired by Miles Davis in 1958 to play with big names like Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane.
Miles Davis described Evans as having a “quiet fire” on the piano, playing “underneath the rhythm.” Check out the album 1958 Miles to get a better idea of what Davis was talking about.
Although he left the group after recording ten albums with Davis (Evans got a lot of pressure from the public being the only white guy in a group of black musicians), he played with Davis again in the popular album, Kind of Blue.
In comparison to other successful jazz pianists like Bud Powell and Count Basie, Evans has a smoother, muted, more experimental sound — a bit detached from the styles and ideas of hardcore bebop. He’s also responsible for “reforming” jazz chord voicings by almost abandoning the use of the root of the chord, a very complex idea that you’re probably better off reading about in a jazz theory book. Or listening to Bill Evans himself.
Despite his great success in jazz piano, Evans struggled with a heroin addiction that stretched into his late fifties. Although he managed to overcome this in the 1960s, his addiction to cocaine in the 1970s led to his death in 1980 — with a bleeding ulcer, cirrhosis in his liver, and pneumonia.
Even though Bill Evans led an unfortunate life, his influence on jazz — for jazz pianists and many other musicians — has carried on in jazz today.
Bill Evans’s standards: 1…Waltz for Debby. 2…Funkarello. 3…Very Early. 4…Turn Out the Stars.
Where to start? Check out these albums, and be sure not to miss the Bill Evans Trio. (My favorite recording by the Bill Evans trio is Someday My Prince Will Come.)
1…Sunday at the Village Vanguard.
3…1958 Miles.
4…Compact Jazz.
My Bill Evans favorites: 1…Sleepin’ Bee. 2…Granados. 3…Waltz for Debby. 4…I Loves You, Porgy. 5…Solar. 6…Milestones.
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: What is Hip?/Tower of Power/The Very Best of Tower of Power
