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BILL EVANS FEATURING CANNONBALL ADDERLEY - Peace Pieces 

DreamCovers 6093 


Bill Evans, piano 
Tracks 1-2: 
Cannonball Adderley  alto sax; Percy Heath bass; Connie Kaye  drums 
New York, March 13, 1961. 
Track 3: 
Freddie Hubbard trumpet; Jim Hall guitar; Percy Heath bass; Philly Joe Jones drums 
New York, July 17, 1962. 
Tracks 5 & 15: BILL EVANS (unaccompanied piano). New York, December 15, 1958. 
Tracks 4 & 6-9: 
Chuck Israels bass; Paul Motian drums New York, May 29, 1962. 
Tracks 10, 11 & 13: Teddy Kotick bass; Paul Motian drums New York, September 27, 1956. 
Track 12: Bill Evans (unaccompanied piano).New York, September 18, 1956. 
Track 14: Scott LaFaro bass; Paul Motian drums New York, December 28, 1959.
 
 
Why does anyone buy an album like this, full of bits and pieces?  ‘Featuring Cannonball Adderley’ that is what the album title says.   Cannonball is featured on just two tracks!  We must not be ungrateful because anything with Bill Evans  is worth hearing. 

The music covers the period from 1956 until 1962. 

‘Peri’s Scope’ features the classic trio of LaFaro and Motian and they play at their creative coherent best. Bill Evans plays unaccompanied on two tracks including a 1956 solo version of the great piece ‘Waltz for Debby’.  The other version of that piece from 1961 has Cannonball soloing over the accompanists from the MJQ Connie Kay and Percy Heath. 

Freddie Hubbard,  Jim Hall  and Philly Joe Jones play on ‘Interplay’ from 1962. 

Paul Motian is on seven tracks.  That is reason enough to listen.  Was there any one who could be so subtle and drive so hard with brushes? 

Above all throughout there is the so subtle piano of Evans full with tenderness, full of delicacy.  Evans and LaFaro and Motian did re-define the piano trio by working collaboratively not with the pianist dominant.  Here you can hear the way that Evans worked towards that peak. 

Riverside did a great deal for Bill Evans and Bill did a great deal for the label.  However, it is difficult to avoid the thought that an album like this is the sweepings from the floor of the Riverside studios. Glittering sweepings though! 


Reviewed by Jack Kenny 
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