BILL EVANS - Live At Ronnie Scott’s
Resonance Records (2 CD)
Bill Evans (piano); Eddie Gomez ( bass); Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s in July of 1968
The stories behind the unearthing of the music that Resonance discovers are almost as interesting as the music itself. For the past few years Resonance Records has discovered previously unknown live and studio sessions by this Bill Evans trio with Gomez and DeJohnette: ‘Some Other Time: The Lost Session From The Black Forest’. From the same period Resonance issued ‘Another Time’ which was recorded by Netherland’s Radio Union in Hilversum.
One of the great things about this album is the way that it is produced. Resonance has high standards. In the world of cinema, you have the Criterion Collection. Criterion do not just give you the film, but they will ensure that you have the best available print. They also produce accompanying essays about the director, the writer, the actors, about aspects of the production, the views of critics and about the era when the film was created. The whole purpose is deepening understanding. Resonance, in jazz terms, creates something similar. The first time I realised about Resonance was when I reviewed the Thad Jones Mel Lewis ‘All My Yesterdays’. The richness of the accompanying material created a cultural artefact that also elevates the music. This is what jazz deserves. The people at Resonance love jazz. Accompanying the music on this release are interviews with Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea, comedian and jazz lover, Chevy Chase. For many the highlight will be the cover design from David Stone Martin. Stone Martin created album designs for many of the albums produced by Norman Granz in the fifties and sixties. They are now considered art works. Just google the name to see many of the unique covers that the artist created.
Producer Zev Feldman looks for music that was recorded and for various reasons had been forgotten. When Feldman heard that Jack DeJohnette had recorded his work with Bill Evans in the month-long engagement at Ronnie Scott’s in 1968, Feldman realised it could be jazz gold. He was disappointed when he heard the tapes. It was only later when reviewing the tapes again on a better machine that he realised that the music was good enough to share.
DeJohnette explains: ‘We played at Ronnie’s like for a month; the trio played every night of that. I was recording it with what was, at the time, a hip recorder. I stuck the microphone in the piano near Eddie’s bass and it recorded the piano, bass and the drums leaked in, and Bill was really stretching. But playing there a month is why it was so good.’
It is not a perfect recording, sound-wise. Occasionally the sound becomes muddy when multiple lines overlap and DeJohnette overall is not favoured in the mix. His drumming alternates between sensitive gentleness and over aggressive use of the sticks. Gomez, on the other hand, benefits and his bass playing in all its vivacity and strength is favoured. He explores the timbre of his bass. Gomez at that time was coming into his own. He had been with Evans for eighteen months and he understood the pianist and he could deal with all the changes in tempo. By then he was not overawed by his predecessor, Scott LaFaro. In some ways Gomez was more dynamic and like LaFaro he used the bass as a guitar. His soloing on ‘Embraceable You’ glories in the percussive plucking as he slides down the strings changing keys and tempo. In many ways this whole album belongs to Gomez.
‘Autumn Leaves’ shows the trio at its best. You can sense why Evans said of DeJohnette that he brought a different dynamic. The drummer drives hard without overwhelming. You can hear the swinging restraint on ‘Very Early’ and on ‘Nardis’. It is obvious that the drummer and pianist react to and play off each other.
This trio was together for just a short time. The album is probably the best example of their work and shows an important aspect of Bill Evans’ development.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Resonance Records (2 CD)
Bill Evans (piano); Eddie Gomez ( bass); Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s in July of 1968
The stories behind the unearthing of the music that Resonance discovers are almost as interesting as the music itself. For the past few years Resonance Records has discovered previously unknown live and studio sessions by this Bill Evans trio with Gomez and DeJohnette: ‘Some Other Time: The Lost Session From The Black Forest’. From the same period Resonance issued ‘Another Time’ which was recorded by Netherland’s Radio Union in Hilversum.
One of the great things about this album is the way that it is produced. Resonance has high standards. In the world of cinema, you have the Criterion Collection. Criterion do not just give you the film, but they will ensure that you have the best available print. They also produce accompanying essays about the director, the writer, the actors, about aspects of the production, the views of critics and about the era when the film was created. The whole purpose is deepening understanding. Resonance, in jazz terms, creates something similar. The first time I realised about Resonance was when I reviewed the Thad Jones Mel Lewis ‘All My Yesterdays’. The richness of the accompanying material created a cultural artefact that also elevates the music. This is what jazz deserves. The people at Resonance love jazz. Accompanying the music on this release are interviews with Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea, comedian and jazz lover, Chevy Chase. For many the highlight will be the cover design from David Stone Martin. Stone Martin created album designs for many of the albums produced by Norman Granz in the fifties and sixties. They are now considered art works. Just google the name to see many of the unique covers that the artist created.
Producer Zev Feldman looks for music that was recorded and for various reasons had been forgotten. When Feldman heard that Jack DeJohnette had recorded his work with Bill Evans in the month-long engagement at Ronnie Scott’s in 1968, Feldman realised it could be jazz gold. He was disappointed when he heard the tapes. It was only later when reviewing the tapes again on a better machine that he realised that the music was good enough to share.
DeJohnette explains: ‘We played at Ronnie’s like for a month; the trio played every night of that. I was recording it with what was, at the time, a hip recorder. I stuck the microphone in the piano near Eddie’s bass and it recorded the piano, bass and the drums leaked in, and Bill was really stretching. But playing there a month is why it was so good.’
It is not a perfect recording, sound-wise. Occasionally the sound becomes muddy when multiple lines overlap and DeJohnette overall is not favoured in the mix. His drumming alternates between sensitive gentleness and over aggressive use of the sticks. Gomez, on the other hand, benefits and his bass playing in all its vivacity and strength is favoured. He explores the timbre of his bass. Gomez at that time was coming into his own. He had been with Evans for eighteen months and he understood the pianist and he could deal with all the changes in tempo. By then he was not overawed by his predecessor, Scott LaFaro. In some ways Gomez was more dynamic and like LaFaro he used the bass as a guitar. His soloing on ‘Embraceable You’ glories in the percussive plucking as he slides down the strings changing keys and tempo. In many ways this whole album belongs to Gomez.
‘Autumn Leaves’ shows the trio at its best. You can sense why Evans said of DeJohnette that he brought a different dynamic. The drummer drives hard without overwhelming. You can hear the swinging restraint on ‘Very Early’ and on ‘Nardis’. It is obvious that the drummer and pianist react to and play off each other.
This trio was together for just a short time. The album is probably the best example of their work and shows an important aspect of Bill Evans’ development.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
