Along with his keen technical ability and nuanced sense of harmony, Evans worked to democratize the role of the bassist and drummer in his succession of piano trios, encouraging greater contrapuntal interplay. Some known examples are: “Waltz for Debby”, for his niece “For Nenette”, for his wife “Letter to Evan”, for his son “NYC’s No Lark”, in memory of friend pianist Sonny Clark “Re: Person I Knew”, an anagram of the name of his friend and producer Orrin Keepnews “We Will Meet Again”, for his brother “Peri’s Scope”, for girlfriend Peri Cousins “One for Helen” and “Song for Helen”, for manager Helen Keane “B minor Waltz (For Ellaine)”, for girlfriend Ellaine Schultz “Laurie”, for girlfriend Laurie Verchomin “Yet Ne’er Broken”, an anagram of the name of cocaine dealer Robert Kenney “Maxine”, for his stepdaughter “Tiffany”, for Joe LaBarbera’s daughter “Knit For Mary F.” for fan Mary Franksen from Omaha.Borrowing heavily from the impressionism of Debussy and Ravel, pianist Bill… Read Full Bio ↴ Borrowing heavily from the impressionism of Debussy and Ravel, pianist Bill Evans brought an introverted, relaxed, and lyrical classical sensibility into jazz. Many of these were dedicated to people close to him. Main article: List of compositions by Bill EvansĮvans’s repertoire consisted of both jazz standards and original compositions. In 1994, he was posthumously honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.Įvans influenced the character Seb’s wardrobe in the film La La Land. Many of his tunes, such as “ Waltz for Debby“, “ Turn Out the Stars“, “Very Early”, and “ Funkallero“, have become often-recorded jazz standards.ĭuring his lifetime, Evans was honored with 31 Grammy nominations and seven Awards. The music of Bill Evans continues to inspire younger pianists including Fred Hersch, Bill Charlap, Lyle Mays, and Eliane Elias and arguably Brad Mehldau early in his career. During his last years, he even owned a racehorse named “Annie Hall” with producer Jack Rollins.Įvans has left his mark on such players as Chick Corea, Diana Krall, Ralph Towner, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Vince Guaraldi, Don Friedman, Marian McPartland, Denny Zeitlin, Paul Bley, Bobo Stenson, Warren Bernhardt, Michel Petrucciani, Lenny Breau, Keith Jarrett, Vicente Inti Jones Alvarado, and Rick Wright of Pink Floyd, as well as many other musicians worldwide. Evans had a fondness for horse racing and frequently gambled hundreds of dollars, often winning. He was also a keen golfer, a hobby that began on his father’s golf course. It was Evans who introduced John Coltrane to the Indian philosophy of Krishnamurti.Įvans liked to paint and draw. He was fascinated with Eastern religions and philosophies, including Islam, Zen, and Buddhism. His shelves held works by Plato, Voltaire, Whitehead, Santayana, Freud, Margaret Mead, Sartre and Thomas Merton and he had a special fondness for Thomas Hardy‘s work. Evans received 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.īill Evans was an avid reader, in particular philosophy and humorous books. Many of Evans’s compositions, such as “ Waltz for Debby“, have become standards, played and recorded by many artists. In 1966, he met bassist Eddie Gómez, with whom he worked for 11 years. In 1963, Evans recorded Conversations with Myself, a solo album using the unconventional technique of overdubbing himself. After months of seclusion, Evans reemerged with a new trio, featuring bassist Chuck Israels. In 1961, ten days after finishing an engagement at the New York Village Vanguard jazz club, LaFaro died in a car accident. In late 1959, Evans left the Miles Davis band and began his career as a leader, with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, a group now regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. During that time, Evans was also playing with Chet Baker for the album Chet. In 1958, Evans joined Miles Davis‘s sextet, which in 1959, then immersed in modal jazz, recorded Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time. In 1955, he moved to New York City, where he worked with bandleader and theorist George Russell. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block chords, and trademark rhythmically independent, “singing” melodic lines continue to influence jazz pianists today.īorn in Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1929, he was classically trained at Southeastern Louisiana University and the Mannes School of Music, in New York City, where he majored in composition and received the Artist Diploma. William John Evans (August 16, 1929–September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who mostly played in trios.
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