Share you favourite Bill Evans recordings below:
Bill Evansā solo piano version of āEasy To Loveā is one of my favourite recordings. The transition from ballad to a medium swing feel at 0:50 is sublime and perfectly executed:
This tune is from his album āTime Rememberedā which is definitely worth listening to and studying. Half of the album is solo piano and the other half is with his trio.
If you have tried transcribing Bill Evansā work, you will quickly realise that more often than not, he changes the original key of the standards he plays. Iām sure he had the technical ability to turn up on the day and decide what key he wanted to play in. What a talent.
Whilst the key changes can pose a challenge in transcribe his lines, it can also be a rewarding exercise to improve your transcription and transposition skills.
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Yes what a wonderful performance. Iām very fond of Evansā earlier work, particularly āPortrait in Jazzā and āExplorationsā. Thanks for sharing Walt.
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Bill rehearsing for a concert with Monica Zetterlund - a Swedish singer, and Alex Riel - a Danish drummer in Copenhagen, Denmark. 1966 Oct. 25
A very interesting perspective into the character and personality of Bill Evans. The audio/video quality is superb considering when it was filmed (1966)
This recording of Bill Evans and Toots Thielemans playing Blue In Green is one of my favourite recordings of the tune. Amazing how the musicians turn it from a ballad to a up tempo swinging groove.
And hereās the full album if youāre interested:
Affinity is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans, released in 1979 featuring Belgian harmonica player Toots Thielemans. It is the recording debut for bassist Marc Johnson.
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You Must Believe in Spring, recorded in 1977, was the first album published after the death of Bill Evans, in 1980. Themes like absence, loss, death (so close to Bill, after the death of his brother, and his friend Scott La Faro) are expressed in the musical research & development of this cd, a pearl in his Jazz recording history. This is the title track, #2, You Must Believe in Spring.
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I thought I had my favourites of Billās own compositions but hereās a new one I found earlier.
This album was written in memory of his brother - Harry Evans - shortly after his death. You can hear the emotion he is conveying in the tune and some really interesting cluster type voicings in places.
From reading into Billās Biography, he and Harry were very close growing up and his death had a huge effect on Bill.
For anyone that is interested in the read, hereās an account of Billās life from Harryās wifeā¦ Pat Evans:
Harry and Bill Evans.pdf (641.8 KB)
I always enjoy not only listening to the music of my favourite players, but also researching and exploring their life and backgroundā¦ it gives you great insight into the influences and circumstances behind ātheir soundā which can be very rewarding 
This is unbelievable: āElsaā, from the 1965 BBC show Jazz 625, with intro by Humphrey Littleton. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2gddu_bill-evans-elsa-jazz-625_music
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Great record Martinā¦ Elsa is a lovely waltz.
I have that recording in my iTunes but I have never seen the accompanying video of the performance.
Iām a big fan of Bill Evansā earlier worksā¦ particularly this trio with Chuck Israels and Larry Bunker!
Cheers!
Really good !
I canāt imagine that doesnāt come from a hudge composition workā¦ even for that kind of genious
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Wonderful Adamā¦ I love Bill Evansā solo works.
My favourite being the album Time Remembered which is half solo performances and half with his trio.
Check out this guyās channel, he creates extremely detailed transcriptions of Bill Evansā solo performancesā¦ hereās the one for All The Things You Are:
His hand must have been hugeā¦ check out what his left hand is doing.
Itās interesting because with his trio, he would almost exclusively play left hand voicings but here he almost always includes the root, and the 3rd (major or minor) an octave up (so a 10th interval between his left hand pinky and his thumb playing the third) then the also often adds the 7th (major or minor) with his index finger.
I can just about stretch some of those voicings but many are well out of my reach 
Some interesting perspectives into his personal style and how he drew upon the influences of those before him:
Iāve read before that Bill was a huge fan of Pud Powellā¦ someone I need to listen to more!
An interesting blues improvisation over āFreddie Freeloaderā
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Bill Evans - Like Someone In Love (Solo Piano)
This is one of my favourite recordings of Bill Evans playing solo piano. His use of inner voices is sublime 
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His playing is so elegant 
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Yep thatās probably my favourite of his solo piano recordings @natasha0412 .
You can hear how he āstraightened out the 8th noteā compared to other hard-swinginā players of the post-bop era. His lines still swing, but in a more subtle and sophisticated way.
I wish my hands were big enough to stretch those shell voicings he plays in his left handā¦ I can just about reach a couple of them, but some of the keys no chance! 
If you study Billās arrangements, you will quickly realise that his hands were huge!
Cheers!
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