EVERYBODY DIGS BILL EVANS
And you should, too. . .

From Wikipedia:

William John Evans, (better known as Bill Evans) (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous jazz pianists of the 20th century; he remains one of the major influences on post-1950s jazz piano. His use of impressionist harmony, his inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire and his syncopated and polyrhythmic melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, Denny Zeitlin, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, and his work continues to inspire younger pianists such as Fred Hersch, Esbjörn Svensson, Bill Charlap, and Lyle Mays as well as other musicians such as guitarist John McLaughlin.

And

In 1958, Evans was hired as the only white musician in the famed Miles Davis Sextet. Though his time with the band was brief - no more than eight months - it was one of the most fruitful collaborations in the history of jazz, as Evans's introspective scalar approach to improvisation deeply influenced Davis's conception. His desire to pursue his own projects as a leader, problems with drug use, and conflicts with other band members led him to leave Davis. However, he returned to the band at Davis's request to record the jazz classic, Kind of Blue. Evans's contribution to the album was overlooked for years; in addition to writing the song "Blue in Green" (credited to Davis), he also developed the germ of the track "Flamenco Sketches" on his 1958 recording "Peace Piece" from his album Everybody Digs Bill Evans. By the end of the decade, he had started his own trio.

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Bill Evans is my favorite pianist. I'm not so unique in that respect: he's easily on the short list for greatest jazz piano player of all time. But I'm not really trying to be a slave to the critics; Evans' playing was haunting and captivating--Miles Davis once described his work as being like delicate droplets cascading down a waterfall, and, man, did he get it right. Becky and I danced at our wedding to Miles and Bill playing "Blue in Green" on the Kind of Blue album, which still gives me chills whenever I hear it. I think I love Evans for the same reason that I like Miles, or Duke Ellington, or Pink Foyd, or Genesis, or the Beatles. Under the right conditions, Bill Evans can make me transcend reality, transporting me to an otherworldly realm of thought and imagination. He was that great.

So the reason I'm going on about him here is that I found a cool live clip of him on YouTube playing one of those transcendental tunes, "If You Could See Me Now." You'd really be a fool to not check it out.


Bill Evans

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