Bill Evans
(1929- 80)
Piano
Evans was born in Plainfield, New Jersey. When he entered the New York scene in 1955, recording with Tony Scott and George Russell, his subtly swinging, lucidly constructed solos quickly attracted attention. He spent several months during 1958 in Miles Davis's band, where he played alongside John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley as well as the trumpeter and became a central figure in Davis's shift to modal improvisation. Evans' contribution to the classic album Kind of Blue is often underrated.
The period with Davis allowed Evans to organize his own trio, which featured bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian by the end of 1959, These three players developed a new and more interactive approach to trio playing, one in which all instruments carried melodic responsibilities. LaFaro's tragic death in July 1961 in a car accident ended the existence of this seminal unit,' but not before it had recorded four albums, two in the studio and two at the Village Vanguard shortly before the bassist's death, that influenced several generations of pianists, bassists, and drummers. While Evans carried on to make memorable duet music with guitarist Jim Hall, singer Tony Bennett, and bassist Eddie Gomez, he also continued to work in the trio format he had established with LaFaro and Motian. Personnel rarely changed in the Evans trio (Gomez was a member from 1966-77), and the unit's repertoire slowly grew to include evocative new originals as well as worthy standards. Despite this consistency of format and material, Evans remained uncommonly inspired, able to reach stunning emotional depths with a quiet lucidity that was unmatched. His lyrical melodic inventions, intricate phrasing and beautiful touch remain as unmistakable influences on pianists 15 years after his death.
