Barry Harris about Bill Evans and jazz pianists

[hikesteepfishhigh]

I've learned a lot from Barry but Bill Evans is not only my favorite piano player, but one of my favorite jazz musicians.

[mrpeel]

His rant is akin to saying that Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett are all overrated since they're not Bill Evans! 😮

[renatobuchert]

I like how he badmouths "In Your Own Sweet Way" but has enough respect for it to insist on getting the composer's name right.

[stangetz]

I wish I was in nyc. i'd be at his classes all the time.

[l.romain]

I agree with Barry, bill evans music was missing something, i literally don’t feel anything when I listen to him. Unlike bud powell, I hear so many interesting phrases n stimulates me

[azpiano]

Barry Harris is the best, great jazz educator, . He helps make sense of jazz
I understand his chord structures pretty well building from the diminished 6 scale ... and how the dominant chords from diminished 7th are related .. Jazz is made made eAsier with an understandingly of these concepts .. I teach those concepts to my students all the times locally and in my channel

[michaelmullmusic]

Everyone jumping all over Barry Harris, I think you may be reading into his tone a little much. He's coming across as mad or bitter but I think it's frustration. Frustration that often students and younger musicians that he interacts with are unaware of some of the musicians that he feels are the most important musicians in jazz. It's his opinion on something that is his entire life's passion, so nobody should be surprised if he has strong opinions! As an educator I think he could have been a bit more diplomatic, or at least more specific. As a musician and person, let him talk some shit! Let him be frustrated! Musicians are humans and are emotional beings.

[digsjazzalot]

Great older cats like this always have opinions about other players. It’s entertaining. To be taken with a grain of salt. He’s a treasure. Just like who you like.

[ramazkhatiashvili]

Putting Bill Evans down like this is just ridiculous. You don't need to do that in order to emphasize the greatness of Bud or Hank. They are great anyway, as well as Bill. And no, they don't sound alike.

[rontomkins]

I met Barry. I went to a lot of his Masterclasses and of course, I was exposed to his rantings. He comes from a line of musicians who are very conservative about the style of music they are teaching. Just like my Classical piano teacher, who loved Bach, Beethoven and Chopin but couldn't stand music by Bartok or Prokofiev. And that's fine, as I learned a lot from her too. When you get to meet these amazing teachers, you take whatever wisdom you can from them, and incorporate it in your life. You don't have to agree with them on everything (And I even think it's healthier not to, otherwise you turn them into Cult Leaders) Barry has every right to dismiss Bill Evans as a total fool. And I have every right to find Evans one of the most influential pianists ever to exist. When it comes to music learning, it's just like with everything else music-related, as Miles used to say when defining music: "You take what you need and you leave out the rest". I learned a lot from Barry in regards to voicing, harmonization, and the application of the Diminished scale in tonal harmony, and I also loved him as a human being.

[eliaslapia]

Great piano player, great musical teacher... But those statements about Bill Evans, George Cables and in other videos Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock are dangerous; teach students music non what they should like. Music is bigger than an opinion

[sunnysaxman]

Art Tatum, Hank Jones, Bill Evans, George Cables, Barry Harris. All different flavours of genius. And I do love hearing the old school cats talking about it all. But I do owe a huge debt to Barry. His classes turned my musical world around when I was a young musician.

[johndimartino]

This is BULL SHIT! I am sorry that Barry spoke this way about Bill Evans! Bill was totally a disciple of Bud Powell. You can hear that in his early paying. Bill then went on to innovate his own style, and after Bud, Bill is chronologically the next most important influence in the development of Jazz Piano! I think the issue is that some may have envied Bill's commercial success and that clouds their judgment!

[titchnerc]

I think many of you who have posted here are missing the point. This isn't an attack on Bill Evans, but this is an attack on anything called Jazz that comes after Be Bop! Barry has said Miles Davis's modal music is not jazz. To Barry, anything post post-BeBop is not Jazz. It was just on this day, he was talking about Bill Evans. On other days, he would talk badly about Miles Davis or Coltrane.. Barry has condemned modal Jazz before. "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis is known probably as the best Jazz album of all time (if there is such a thing). All Jazz aficionados consider "Kind of Blue, " if not the greatest Jazz album of all time, at least on the top five greatest jazz albums of all time. I've heard Barry Harris say modal music is not jazz, and "Kind Of Blue" mostly modal. So, what many consider the best Jazz album (or one of the best) of all time, Barry would not even consider it Jazz.I've heard Barry Harris condemn Coltrane's "Giant Steps!" So, what you are hearing here is not bitterness, but musical dogma. Nevertheless, Barry can opine about Bill Evans, and on other days Miles Davis and Coltrane; however, Barry is a musical genius. He's not bitter. Bitterness is for losers, but Barry is a winner. He is around 90 years old, and still going strong. Among Jazz musicians, he is viewed like a God when he visits Europe and does his workshops. He has nothing to be bitter about. What you are hearing is not bitterness, but the teacher in him. All teachers are dogmatic to a certain extent, and he no exception.

[vegetatheth]

Maybe he is sick and tired of Bill Evans popularity among jazz pianists.

[jonathansmith]

With all due respect to Jon Raney (who plays better than I ever will) and the other excellent folks here, I don’t think this is primarily about jealousy or sour grapes. I think it’s primarily that Barry is sad and angry that, in his view, jazz took a wrong turn and the wrong people became the main influences. I don’t think he’s trying to cut Bill Evans or Dave Brubeck or anyone, per se, so much as he’s angry that most piano students will be taught that playing like Bill Evans is the right, modern way to play. (At least I was.) And as to it being lame for him to say this, I think what a teacher says in class to his students should reflect his actual thinking. This isn’t like Michael Jordan cutting people in a public speech. I love Barry and have always found him warm (especially after he’s criticized someone). Sorry to see the anger here - I think if you listen to him enough you’d hear that it’s mostly about his frustration about the way the music went. Not his personal jealousy/pettiness. (FWIW, I love Bill Evans.)

[vova]

Bill Evans presented a problem for that part of black jazz community who insists that jazz is black music only. He was an innovator, totally original with solid roots in swing and bebop. He was one of the few white jazz musicians whose concept influenced nearly every pianist of his generation and younger of every race and nationality. As good as Barry is or has been, his whole concept is not original but coming directly from Bud Powell, whereas Bill has learned from Bud but came up with his own style.

[daniel]

This is fucking hilarious. Classic Barry; stubborn, savage and still legendary at the ripe old age of 90 something.

[calichav]

Lol! Bill Evans is an artist first and a pianist second. His art is so damn beautiful. Harris is a pianist first. I take his remarks from that point of view

[tiffsaver]

I can easily see how this man would have gotten sick of constantly hearing about Bill Evans. But on the other hand, he is a TEACHER, and supposed to be a little more even handed when he speaks to young minds. Listening to this kind of talk makes me terribly sad.