It's so beautiful, that despite his limitless improvisations, he keeps on coming back to the same melody he began the piece with. As if, no matter where his hands travel in the piano, no matter what melody he plays, he shall alway come back to the original one, he will never let it go. Damn, his music will never let me go.
Being so intrigued by his style, I looked up his Wiki. For a guy at his peak in the 60's, and facing his demons at that time, and producing this music through all that just makes me appreciate and respect him all the more. Such a gift.
I think the obvious stuff of Evans’ playing needs no further remark. But the fact that Evans played to audiences of no more than a dozen people, he didn’t care. He had to play, he had to be heard even if by just one person. There was no hero-worshipping this guy when he was alive. Maybe some people took his style for granted, or he was so ahead of his time that people just didn’t notice that what he was doing was legendary. Regardless, Bill Evans was a no-ego guy who just adored his piano. And, naturally, it shows.
seeing Bill Evans perform, I knew there was a God out there. My wife and I drove from my Viet era digs in Germany 1969 4 hours to Basel to hear him, Eddie Gomez, Marty Morrell. We 2 were the only attendees in an otherwise empty Swiss Hall for a 2 hour performance. Met the guys outside. Bill charmed us , while the traps and Bass were loaded in the Taxi trunk. I've met Horowitz, Rubenstein, Richter, Segovia. Bill is sharing heaven with them all
at this point bills mind is just so connected to the instrument, over the decades, he built a finely cultivated neural network, i wonder if when he plays he leaves thought behind, ideas like key centers, his brain just expresses itself through the piano as naturally as it has thought, as naturally as walking.
Bill Evans was the master of the jazz piano. A man who preferred to play alone - no audience, no other players. If one listens closely there is not a mistake of any kind - totally improvised and I believe a one-take performance. It can transport a listener to places unimagined and special to the listener. He is my favorite musician of any kind or genre. Perfection......
