Bill Evans
1961
Amanda: My complaints about jazz are getting monotonous so just know that I am screaming on the inside for every jazz album we must listen to. I mean, this is getting ridiculous. Speaking of monotonous, how about some genre variety? Moving on...
So the thing that sets Bill Evans apart is his skill with the piano. The piano is the main focus of the album and it is completely absent of vocals. This album is also unique in that there are different takes of some of the songs so you could see what was done differently.
All that being said, the album is a little bit too long in my opinion and towards the end I was longing for normality to be restored and for there to be just one take for each song. I felt like this would be more interesting if I played an instrument (besides "Hot Cross Buns" on the recorder and "Heart and Soul" on the piano). If you do, you could really study the music. Personally, I thought it was rather boring.
RATING:
Brie: I kind of agree with Amanda on this one. That being said, I appreciate Bill Evans' talent on the piano and his skills at composing music. I liked it, but the whole time I kept picturing a hotel lobby or something. This is pretty much background music compared to all of the other amazing jazz we have listened to (Kind Of Blue, Birth Of The Cool). The standout for me would be "Alice In Wonderland (Take 2)". Not bad, but not my favorite.
RATING:
Only the faintest pretext of a song or melody.
ReplyDeleteSeems like at least one or two players are missing: no horns, no reeds. This guy plays the piano very well, but it gets old quickly.
The bass is usually off doing its own thing, the three instruments are rarely in sync. Some people enjoy that, apparently.
The first track however is somewhat more cohesive, and actually pretty good.
I think a couple shots of whisky would help me enjoy this music more.
Standout track: "Gloria's Step"