Bill Evans was one of the most influential pianist of the last 40 years. After serving in the Army, he returned to New York in 1955 and began working with George Russell and Tony Scott. He quickly attracted attention and joined Miles Davis' band in 1958, where he became a central figure in Davis' shift from hard bop to modal improvisation.
He left Davis' group in 1959, but not before recording the legendary record Kind of Blue. He formed his own trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. Rather than the piano + rhythm style of trio that was prevalent, his group used an interactive approach, where all 3 instruments carried melodic responsibilities and functioned as equal voices. His style, instead of straight-forward attack, used a reflective and delicate mood which was imposed from a classical touch and oblique sense of rhythm. It was this personal and trio style that influences players to this very day.
In 1960, this trio recorded Sunday at the Village Vanguard, which is considered by many to be the finest recording of the period. Ten days later, LaFaro died in a car crash. In 1963, Evans recorded Conversations with Myself, which became very influential in the jazz community, as he used overdubbing, which had been condemned by most jazz musicians before this recording. (Overdubbing is playing multiple parts, using multiple tracks). He continued recording in the trio settings and recorded strongly through the 1960s. After that, his career became more erratic, as his heroin addiction started taking its toll. He died in 1980.
For more Bill Evans information, check out these sites:
Bill Evans - a VERY well-designed resource!
Bill Evans - from allaboutjazz.com.
