Bill Evans' Most Underrated Album?

Have you checked out Interplay? One of Bill Evans' most swinging performances on record! Join Adam and Peter as they break down what makes this album hit so hard.

Peter's 10 Greatest Jazz Albums

Bill Evans' Interplay

Bill Evans' Solo Transcription

Audio only?? Look no further

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[nilkilnilkil]

I like the later bill Evans records tbh. The ones with the Rhodes and piano but also the later ensemble records like affinity and the one with Tom Harrell on it ...

[jimdixon]

Keepnews gives a little context in the liner notes to the complete Riverside recordings box. Evans in 1962 was depressed and using heavily, and it took some coaxing by Riverside to get him back in the studio after LaFaro's death. There was an aborted 4-song solo piano session before this that Bill just couldn't finish, in April of '62. 1962 is when Evans begin to move beyond the trio and do both chamber jazz and larger ensembles with horn frontlines under his own name, though he notably was featured heavily on two hard bop albums by Cannonball Adderley recorded for Riverside, in 1958 and 1961. The first, like "Interplay", had Philly Joe, and the second had Percy Heath.

Two weeks after the April solo session, Bill and Jim cut "Undercurrent" for United Artists (I have no idea why Riverside loaned him out; as a side note, "Undercurrent" producer Alan Douglas later produced a bunch of posthumous and infamous Jimi Hendrix records!). "Undercurrent" wasn't a follow up to "Interplay", but rather the opening round of the Hall/Evans working partnership.

Then Evans cut two trio records with Chuck Israels and Motian (he also did some session work with Herbie Mann and Benny Golson), and then came summertime quintet sessions with Hubbard and Zoot.

Keepnews did the second session with Zoot simply to give Evans money, as Evans was putting a whole lot of his income into his arm that year. Money needs might also explain the United Artists record and the "Empathy" session with Shelly Manne for Verve (that's speculation on my part). The Zoot session was all Evans originals, which again was a play to put more income into Evans' pocket.

Evans left Riverside in early 1963 as that label was going under, and his first Verve record under his long-term contract with the label was "Conversations with Myself". A month before "Conversations", he cut 2 albums' worth of very stark, emotionally raw solo piano for Riverside (beautiful recordings released much later as "Solo Sessions"), his final recordings with the label.

He didn't really like his solo playing that much, thus all the overdubbing on the two "Conversations" albums that preceded the 1968 "Alone" session, where he finally made a solo album he was okay with.

[matthewjaynes]

interplay! love this album, can't wait to hear your thoughts

philly joe plays so great (like always), but man, his kit sounds amazing and so well-blended on this recording. hh + ride are like a single voice

[jazzbrew]

Freddie Hubbard's solo on "You and the Night and the Music" is pure FIRE. He absolutely KILLS it. Swag meter is smoking.

[mikekimpton]

As a guitarist and pianist feel free to do Undercurrent! 😁👍

[MrThinkingahead]

I think Evans' best group was with Lafaro and Motian, and as a result of this, I think Portrait In Jazz and Explorations are his best albums. Keep it up with featuring jazz albums.

[garyhoffman]

Bill always swung hard with Philly Joe. Check out the “California Here I Come” album. Bill sounds hopelessly Caucasian on side one, but then locks in with Philly Joe by side two and swings super hard. Philly Joe was a great influence on Bill’s swing feeling, but not so much on the heroin abuse side, unfortunately.

[jumble]

Great stuff as always guys. Makes the long drives to gigs more bearable.

[haa_vee]

Love the pod! Please keep it going. So interesting to hear your takes.

[yourreelstoryproductions]

You guys are having too much fun. :)Love it!

[TheBitPianist]

"Music, explored" is a solid tagline, Peter!

[clintjones]

Nice show. I like how in depth you guys go with the explanations of the music content. Bill Evans larger group records are totally sleepers, and this one is a favorite of mine. Agree that swingin Bill records can also be really great as juxtaposed to his ethereal ones.

[admarhermans]

Love the sound, especially the drums, guitar and bass (so clear!).

[marcelomollomusica]

I love we will meet again...this album gives me the feeling of balance between the nuance of his touch, his improvisation and his impressionistic lyrics. I love that album and I think I have all of them.

[GizzyDillespee]

As often happens, I guess I DID hear this album before. Thanks for the reminder🤣. My brain is a sieve, I swear.

[jimdixon]

If Hall hadn't been available, the obvious guitar foil, more than Wes or Grant, would to have been Kenny Burrell. Bill and Kenny did actually record a decade later, but it was a different time for Bill and the record wasn't so memorable. Hall and Burrell each play on half of a Nat Adderley record from this era, and they both combine the blues with a touch of cool jazz.

[EricMartinPercussion]

Yes! This is my favorite Bill Evans album as well.

[taagenletter]

Great album and lots of laughs. Thanks guys.

[ryanedwardmusic]

Loved this record, and hearing Jim hall in this context

[Ryan-wrfx]

I think you should definitely talk about bad albums from the masters of Jazz. It will really put things in perspective and be informative.