I found this gem yesterday, buried on Disc 9 of the Bill Evans Complete Riverside Recordings. Zoot Sims is inspired. Jim Hall on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums. Tracked it down on YouTube. Perfect for a Sunday morning.
All posts tagged as: listening
It's been forty-four years since Bill Evans passed. Would it be naive to think in all that time there has been no one to surpass him in the art of jazz piano improvisation? We have seen Keith Jarrett's improvisational virtuosity and McCoy Tyner's muscular strides through a set of chord changes. We've seen more structurally cerebral players manipulate and experiment with the limits of aural legitimacy, testing out what our ears and brains are willing process as music. Countless great players deserving of our attention.
But for sheer lyricism? As I listen to Evans this morning, I have the sensation that his exploration of melody will leave me deeply satisfied. As if he were saying, "This is a beautiful melody. Let me show you the possibilities it contains while still letting it remain itself. That will be my gift."
Happy Birthday to the great Art Pepper. (1925-1982)
Here he is on his signature tune Straight Life.
What a gift to start the day this way. Listening to the solo performances from Bill Evans Complete Riverside Recordings.
The finest combination of beauty and genius.
For this morning's ear bath.
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire and Live at Yale in 1973. Formative for me.
Today's playlist is going to move in and out of music by Nate Smith, Chris Potter, Dave Holland, and many of the musicians in that universe.
Guaranteed fresh.
Thank you Russell Malone. Go easy.
I love everything about this, including the audacious/ambitious scope of it.
Samara Joy is a wonder. A fearless singer. Here she is owning Lush Life.
Marking my birthday by getting back on my rowing machine for the first time in a long while. Listening to Anna Tivel.
