The Definitive Bill Evans on Riverside and Fantasy

By Paul Casey

“I believe that all people are in possession, of what might be called a universal musical mind. Any true music speaks with this universal mind, to the universal mind in all people. The understanding that results will vary, only insofar as people have or have not been conditioned to the various styles of music, in which the universal mind speaks. Consequently, often some effort and exposure is necessary in order to understand some of the music coming from a different period or a different culture, than that to which the listener has been conditioned.

I do not agree that the layman’s opinion is less of a valid judgment of music than that of the professional musician. In fact, I would often rely more on the judgment of a sensitive layman than that of a professional, since the professional, because of his constant involvement in the mechanics of music, must fight to preserve the naivety that the layman already possesses.”
—Bill Evans

This, from the opening of the wonderful documentary The Universal Mind of Bill Evans, expresses much of my experience with Jazz. I am not a professional musician. I have tried my best, however, to become a sensitive layman.

I first became interested in Jazz after listening to a lot of electronic and ambient music. Artists like Brian Eno, Susumu Yokota, and Aphex Twin helped me realize that my genre prejudices and reliance on the same hooks—mostly vocal—were stopping me from enjoying vast areas of musical expression.

Having seen for the first time that I did not require these kinds of safety nets, I figured that the time was right to get knee deep in some Jazz. I had already heard some of the key records, like Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, and enjoyed them, but this was different. This was a desire and a will to become as invested in this music as I had been with that of Brian Wilson or Bob Dylan. One of the first people I was drawn to was Bill Evans.

The music of Bill Evans speaks with the universal mind. Even detached from the knowledge of the technical expertise—which he displayed in so many recordings and performances—and his immense influence on pianists and a whole heap of others in Jazz, Bill Evans moved me. I now know something of the manner in which he affected the course of music, and the way in which he incorporated his Classical training and admiration for composers like Debussy, into the Jazz framework. I can say that while it benefits my understanding and elevates my appreciation for his skill, my love of his music would remain constant, regardless.

A quick look at the back cover of the new Bill Evans collection, The Definitive Bill Evans on Riverside and Fantasy, will tell you the caliber of musicianship you are likely to find here: Cannonball Adderly, Jim Hall, Zoot Sims, Tony Bennett, and many more distinguished musicians and performers. As both an introduction to Bill Evans and as an elegant reminder to his fans, this is a sublime collection: two discs comprised of 25 tracks, drawing from 20 albums, spanning nearly the full length of the career of this most influential musician. The songs here are presented in chronological order and run from Bill’s first LP as band leader in New Jazz Conceptions (1958) to his final album on the Fantasy label, I Will Say Goodbye (1977).

There is so much to love. The song selection gives the album an effortless flow, and the packaging is excellent, from the informative liner notes by Jazz writer Doug Ramsey to the booklet’s design, which is filled with the many beautiful album covers of Bill Evans and his collaborators. An aside but an important one: Jazz artists were so far ahead of the game when it came to the aesthetics of the album cover. From the black and white cool of New Jazz Conceptions, to the pre-Velvet Underground Nico adorning the cover of the sublime and romantic Moonbeams, these records transmitted their mood, tone, and identity, before they were put on the turntable.

Although there are amazing recordings outside of the Riverside and Fantasy catalogues—Undercurrent with Jim Hall is a personal favorite—Evans’ work as presented here easily justifies his reputation. Hell, “Peace Piece,” the second track on this collection—featured on his second album, Everybody Digs Bill Evans—would go a long way towards doing that all by itself. What started as a recording of “Some Other Time” became something else during Evans’ improvisation. It is a good example of Bill’s definition of Jazz as being “one minute’s music in one minute’s time.”

“Peace Piece” never fails to leave me an emotional wreck and it was hearing this solo performance that turned me from a Bill Evans appreciator to a Bill Evans fanatic. (It could happen to you.) Alternatively, it might be the seven-minute live version of Evans’ own “Waltz For Debby,” recorded during the famous Village Vanguard show in June of 1961 or the power and feeling of Tony Bennett’s vocal accompaniment on “Young and Foolish.” This song, the only selection on this compilation from the two albums Bennett and Evans recorded in 1976 and ’77, is a product of two masters sitting down together and coming up with magic.

Working past the point of genre prejudice is one of the things I feel most proud of, when it comes to my love of music. Bill Evans was one of the people who helped me do that. He opened up an entire world of unrestricted expression which I can spend the rest of my life exploring. The Definitive Bill Evans on Riverside and Fantasy is a lovingly compiled introduction to and appreciation of his music. With it, Bill Evans can show you that you do indeed possess a universal musical mind.

The Definitive Bill Evans on Riverside and Fantasy was released by Concord Music Group on April 5.