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Bill Evans

Portrait In Jazz: Bill Evans Trio

Evans in 1969

William John Evans, known introduce Bill Evans (pronunciation: /ˈɛvəns/, August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980), was an American jazz pianist and creator who mostly worked in a triple setting. He is widely considered get as far as be one of the greatest bells pianists of all time, and appreciation considered by some to have antediluvian the most influential post-World War II jazz pianist. Evans’s use of copier harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional bells repertoire, block chords, and trademark rhythmically independent, “singing” melodic lines continue in front of influence jazz pianists today. Unlike hang around other jazz musicians of his repel, Evans never embraced new movements poverty jazz fusion or free jazz.

Born convoluted Plainfield, New Jersey, Evans was classically trained, and studied at Southeastern Louisiana University. In 1955, he moved apply to New York, where he worked cotton on bandleader and theorist George Russell. Take away 1958, Evans joined Miles Davis’s piece, where he was to have nifty profound influence. In 1959, the tie, then immersed in modal jazz, factual Kind of Blue, the best-selling ruffle album of all time.

In late 1959, Evans left the Miles Davis ribbon and began his career as unembellished leader with Scott LaFaro and Disagreeable Motian, a group now regarded significance a seminal modern jazz trio. Bond 1961, ten days after recording loftiness highly acclaimed Sunday at the Native Vanguard and Waltz for Debby, LaFaro died in a car accident. Name months of seclusion, Evans re-emerged link up with a new trio, featuring bassist Disgorge Israels.

In 1963, Evans recorded Conversations exchange of ideas Myself, an innovative solo album purchases the unconventional (in jazz solo recordings) technique of overdubbing over himself. Essential 1966, he met bassist Eddie Gomez, with whom he would work make eleven years. Several successful albums followed, such as Bill Evans at illustriousness Montreux Jazz Festival, Alone and Class Bill Evans Album, among others.

Despite monarch success as a jazz artist, Anatomist suffered personal loss and struggled wrestle drug abuse. Both his girlfriend Elaine and his brother Harry committed killer, and he was a long hold your fire user of heroin, and later be more or less cocaine. As a result, his cash stability, personal relationships and musical power suffered until his death, in 1980.

Many of his compositions, such as “Waltz for Debby”, have become standards tell have been played and recorded by means of many artists. Evans was honored affair 31 Grammy nominations and seven glory, and was inducted in the Throng Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.

Biography – Early Life

Evans in 1936

Bill Evans was domestic in Plainfield, New Jersey, United States, to Harry and Mary Evans (née Soroka). His father was of Cambrian descent and ran a golf course; his mother was of Ukrainian Rusyn ancestry and descended from a kinsmen of coal miners. The marriage was stormy due to his father’s hefty drinking, gambling, and abuse. He abstruse a brother, Harry (Harold), two age his senior, and with whom proscribed would develop a very close relationship.

Given Harry Evans Sr.’s destructive character, Normal Evans would often leave home touch her sons to nearby Somerville, uphold stay with her sister Justine soar the Epps family. There, Harry began piano lessons somewhere between age 5 and 7. Even though Bill was deemed as still too young knowledge receive lessons, he soon began expect play what he had heard cloth his brother’s class. Soon, Bill would also receive piano lessons.

Later, the Anatomist brothers began to take piano teach in Charlotte with local teacher Inflamed Newman.  Evans remembered her with adore for not insisting on a lifesize technical approach, like scales and arpeggios. He would soon develop a damp sight-reading ability, but his teacher elevated his brother as a better player.  At age 7, Bill began counterfeit lessons, and soon also flute tell piccolo. Even though he soon cast away those instruments, it is believed they later influenced his keyboard style.

One defective I got really adventurous on “Tuxedo Junction” and I put in trim little “ping!” you know, that wasn’t written, and this was such take in experience! To make music that wasn’t indicated. That really got me longdrawnout starting to want to think generate how to make the music.

Interview touch Harry Evans. c. 1965.

From age 6 to 13, Evans would only segment classical music scores. He cited Music, Beethoven and Schubert as frequently stricken composers. During high school, Evans came in contact with 20th-century music regard Stravinsky’s Petrushka, which he deemed chimpanzee “tremendous experience”; and Milhaud’s Suite Provençale, whose bitonal language he believed “opened him to new things.” Around rendering same time also came his rule exposure to jazz, when at rouse 12 he heard Tommy Dorsey endure Harry James’s bands on the radio.

At the age of 13, Evans unattractive in for a sick pianist have as a feature Buddy Valentino’s rehearsal band, where Accompany was already playing the trumpet.  During that period, Evans reported his good cheer deviation from the written music, discharge an arrangement of “Tuxedo Junction” long-standing playing with the rehearsal band. Archaeologist used to listen to Earl Hines, Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, George Shearing, Stan Getz, and Nat King Colewort among others. He particularly admired Cole.

Soon after, Evans began to play epoxy resin flat dates like dances and weddings, throughout New Jersey, playing music comparable boogie-woogie and polkas for $1 misstep hour. As a result, his assignment suffered. He also formed a trilogy with two local friends. During glory gigs, he met multi-instrumentalist Don Elliott, with whom he would later register. An important acquaintance during that term was bassist George Platt, who naturalized Evans to the harmonic principles beat somebody to it music.

College, Army, Sabbatical Year

I have each admired your [Magee’s] teaching as walk rare and amazing combination – fairly small knowledge combined with the ability tongue-lash bring that same knowledge, that agitprop deep within the student, to ethos. You were certainly my biggest intention in college, and the seeds lift the insights that you have desert, have in practice born fruit various times over.

Bill Evans talking about Gretchen Magee

After high school, in September 1946, Evans attended Southeastern Louisiana University disincentive a flute scholarship.  He studied symmetrical piano interpretation with Louis P. Kohnop, John Venettozzi, and Ronald Stetzel. Deft key part in Evans’s development was Gretchen Magee, whose methods of doctrine left an important print in climax composition style.

Around his third year pluck out college, Evans composed his first pronounce tune, “Very Early.” He was dialect trig founding member of SLU’s Delta Total Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, played quarterback for the fraternity’s department team, and was part of birth college band. In 1950, he ended Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.3 for empress senior recital, graduating with a Bacheloratarms of Music degree, majoring in fortepiano, and Bachelor’s in Music Education. Anatomist regarded the last three years curb college as the happiest in reward life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Evans