Bill Evans - Here's That Rainy Day (Verve Records 1968)

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"Here's That Rainy Day" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1953. It was introduced by Dolores Gray in the Broadway musical Carnival in Flanders.

William John Evans, known as Bill Evans (August 16, 1929 -- September 15, 1980), was an American jazz pianist and composer who mostly worked in a trio setting. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, and is considered by some to have been the most influential post-World War II jazz pianist. Evans's use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block chords, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines continue to influence jazz pianists today. Unlike many other jazz musicians of his time, Evans never embraced new movements like jazz fusion or free jazz.

Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Evans was classically trained, and studied at Southeastern Louisiana University. In 1955, he moved to New York, where he worked with bandleader and theorist George Russell. In 1958, Evans joined Miles Davis's sextet, where he was to have a profound influence. In 1959, the band, then immersed in modal jazz, recorded Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time.

In late 1959, Evans left the Miles Davis band and began his career as a leader with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian, a group now regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. In 1961, ten days after recording the highly acclaimed Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby, LaFaro died in a car accident. After months of seclusion, Evans re-emerged with a new trio, featuring bassist Chuck Israels.

In 1963, Evans recorded Conversations with Myself, an innovative solo album using the unconventional (in jazz solo recordings) technique of overdubbing over himself. In 1966, he met bassist Eddie Gomez, with whom he would work for eleven years. Several successful albums followed, such as Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Alone and The Bill Evans Album, among others. In 1973, he married Nenette Zazzara, with whom he had a son, Evan, who became a film composer.

Despite his success as a jazz artist, Evans suffered personal loss and struggled with drug abuse. Both his girlfriend Elaine and his brother Harry committed suicide, and he was a long time user of heroin, and later of cocaine. As a result, his financial stability, personal relationships and musical creativity suffered until his death, in 1980.

Many of his compositions, such as "Waltz for Debby", have become standards and have been played and recorded by many artists. Evans was honored with 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted in the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
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I've been playing piano all my life, 70 years, and I will never understand how a mind like BIll's operated. Anything he plays is just pure gold. Flawless, pure, immutable. Hopping from key to key, impossibly difficult voiceings. He was magic. Pure magic. All ex temp. How? HOW? God, I'm so jealous!

My version of the same song is so f'ing square when I hear something like this I could just give up playing altogether. The song is one of the best ballads ever written, especially the lyrics. what he does in the last third of this recording just blows your mind. He was the master; the non-pareil of jazz. The only other player that comes close is Oscar Peterson, whose technique was flawless. Harmonically, thought, he (Oscar) was much more conservative.

flylooper
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One would think I'd big a big boy by now at nearly 82 - but this rendition brings the tears. Coincidentally, this is August 15, 2021, the day before his birthday, August 16, 1929. Oh how I wish he were still with us, healthy and strong, creating more masterful versions of great songs like this for us. From my point of view, he was the best ever at playing jazz piano while locked to it as though they were one.

tonietoney
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How do I miss him, but his music will there be forever. Oh Bill Evans je maakt me weer aan het huilen.

irkapotsdammer
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Bill Evans can make you feel the rain of that rainy day by his music

noesecula
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Bill Evans is by far one of the greatest pianists of all time. He maybe doesn’t play the most virtuosic or technically demanding stuff but there’s no one who can play quite like him

plootyluvsturtle
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Another song I can't ever play again after hearing Bill's version.

jameschesterton
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A me fa venire in mente un periodo di follia... la ascoltavo sempre ..
Grande Evans

francoriva
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So many marvelous eloquent comments here, indicating the gigantic genius of Evans' arrangements. He shows me something new with each play of this song. And it will stand up to infinite playings. My favorite Bill Evans story: Legend has it that Miles Davis would sometimes call Evans at 4 in the morning, when he was unable to sleep, wrestling with his own demons, and would softly ask him to put the phone on the piano and "Please man, just play a little bit for me." Thanks for making the rain in my day so sweet by putting up this track.

tonycobbmusic
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Beautiful, sublime in an otherworldly way. This version is the definition of perfection.

VictorSalus
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I believe that Bill Evans who remains to this day, nearly 40 years after his death, the most influential jazz pianist -- I believe he was one of those instrumentalists that always heard the lyric -- the words --- in his head. Marian McPartland told of watching some great saxophonist come down off stage looking disconsolate. "What's wrong" she asked. "I forgot the lyric" (toward the end) he replied. Johnny Burke wrote two of his best lyrics with Jimmy Van Heusen (whose principal life-long lyricist was Sammy Cahn). BUT BEAUTIFUL was one. This was the other. It's a lyric that stayed with me all my life (it's that good). From memory imperfect: Maybe . . . I should have saved those left over dreams. Funny, but here's that rainy day. Here's that rainy day they told me about. -- and I laughed at the thought it might turn out this way. Where's that worn-out wish that I threw aside, after it brought my lover near. Funny, how love becomes a cold rainy day. Funny -- that rainy day is here. [Thanks RoundMidnightTV for posting the best-ever instrumental version and especially thanks for including Bill Evans bio notes]

MarkBlackburnWPG
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Bill Evens-one of he greatest piano players in any genre.

tomtommy
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About 20 years ago i firstly listened to this, i was so surprised by the beauty of his playing today it rains and i listen to this again. It shakes me as it did before.

ПетяРостов-бъ
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... Bill Evans, Errol Garner or George Shearing = I love there piano style 😍, thanks for this music 🙏🙋‍♂️🎹🎼🎵

hobbykeyboard-organman
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for my money one of his most beautiful harmonic creations. Maybe even the best. crazy. you look at the transcription of this thing and it's a work of art.

johnlogan
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wow...what FORCE! Supple majesty, enticing charisma. The way he strides upon the keys of this instrument is a testament to his brilliance and an era when intelligence and creativity combined with skill to fashion works of art. Masterful.

vincents
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Beautiful song, a favorite of mine, though I'd never heard it as a piano solo except played by me!  I know the song from Frank Sinatra, et al..  This is a lovely version, I love Bill Evans' chords,   he had quite an ear!  He was truly gifted.  Like other great artists, sadly, we lost him due to drugs that ravaged his body and eventually he lost his life, too early at 51.  Terrible loss.  Thank you for posting this lovely rendition by Bill.  Jimmy Van Heusen wrote some incredibly beautiful lyrics, still popular today.  I love his work as well as those who sing and play those timeless songs.

MJLeger-yjww
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This is the beautiful piece of solo piano music I've ever heard. I bought the transcription and want to get back into playing this stuff again. Pure art.

MindBodySoulJohnAndrews
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Here's That Rainy Day, , The great Bill Evans, thnx. Kenny.

gprosser
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Wow! Bill Evans absolutely nails this beautiful song! I first encountered this piece in high school jazz band. If I remember correctly 40bpm....slow tempo. Another favorite arrangement:Stan Kenton Big band

BicyclePhil
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Thanks for posting this from the album - this was the song that I listened to the day my mother passed away.

bobfitzpatrick