The Bill Evans Trio left revolutionary changes to the world of jazz piano trios. The trio was first organized in 1959, with members including Evans (1929.08-1980.09), Scott LaFaro (1936.04-1961.07), and Paul Motian (1931.03-2011.11). Some albums have been produced with these early members of the Evans Trio in mind. I would like to take a new look at the charm of the Evans Trio through three albums dedicated to each of Evans, LaFaro, and Motian.
#232 New Album by Bromberg, Tackling LaFaro’s Music Head-on
LaFaro / Brian Bromberg
(CD KKJ-220, LPKKC-1222)
The genius bassist Scott LaFaro passed away at the young age of 25 in a car accident in July 1961. It was only 11 days after the Evans Trio’s masterpiece “Waltz for Debby” was recorded. In a tribute to LaFaro, who is said to have fundamentally changed the nature of jazz bass, Brian Bromberg, one of the top bassists of our time, has selected a repertoire performed during the Evans Trio era and paid tribute.
LaFaro’s performances back in the day were so vivid that it would have been no easy feat for Bromberg to perform those pieces after LaFaro, and it would have required a great deal of preparation. Feeling that the time was ripe, Bromberg took a hard look at LaFaro’s music, and at the same time, he cut straight to the heart of LaFaro’s music. The deep lyricism in ＜Blue in Green＞ written by Miles Davis. ＜My Foolish Heart＞ and ＜Nardis＞ are well known for the outstanding performances of the Evans Trio. And the mysterious ＜Gloria’s Step＞ and ＜Jade Visions＞ written by LaFaro. Pianist Tom Zink and drummer Charles Ruggiero fit in perfectly with Blomberg’s performance. Bromberg’s works have already been introduced in ♯124, and this album is the latest in the “bass series” that King Records has released in pursuit of the pleasure of bass sounds. The album has been released both on CD and LP, with 12 tracks on the CD and six tracks on the LP. The LP is highly recommended for audiophiles.
#233 A Tribute to Motian Vividly Depicting Spatiality
Once Around The Room - A Tribute To Paul Motian / Jacob Bro, Joe Lovano
(Universal Music ECM UCCE-1197)
Paul Motian was indeed a unique drummer. Rather than being a drummer, it might be more accurate to say he was a solitary improviser who pushed spatially expansive sounds to the ultimate limit. Motian was a member of the Evans Trio for about four years from 1959. After leaving the trio, he formed a band featuring open expressions and actively worked as the leader. From the early 1980s until his death, Motian and tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano played together from time to time. Danish-born guitarist Jacob Bro, who had also played with Motian, is one of those who got great inspiration from Motian.
This is a tribute album to Motian, recorded in the fall of 2021 by Lovano and Jacob Bro. These two, along with three bassists and two drummers, made up a unique seven-piece group that creates highly artistic sounds inherited from Motian. The simple melody of ＜Song to an Old Friend＞ seems to spread lyricism everywhere and forever. ＜As It Should Be＞ and ＜For The Love of Paul＞ are static but colored with avant-garde improvisations. The free performance of the seven musicians beautifully captures the spatial nature of Motian’s music.
#234 Eliane’s Trio Performance, Including Unpublished Originals by Evans
Something For Bill Evans / Eliane
(EMI Music TOCJ-68076)
Now let’s listen to Eliane’s trio work, one of the many tribute albums to Evans. This is a Bill Evans collection that she worked wholeheartedly on in 2007. As she selected from the numbers that Bill played, she wanted to include this one and that one, and in the end, more than a dozen pieces were played on the album. “When I started playing jazz, Bill’s music greatly influenced me. There was something profoundly moving about Bill’s beautiful sounds and harmonies. Bill’s music is truly romantic, and his beautiful ideas are still central to my musical life,” said Eliane.
Two pieces of particular interest are ＜Here Is Something For You＞ and ＜Evanesque,＞ which Bill had composed initially during his lifetime but never recorded himself. They were on a cassette tape Bill handed a few weeks before his death to Marc Johnson, the trio’s last bass player. There are many other highlights, including Eliane singing vocals on several tracks such as ＜Waltz For Debbie＞. It’s been a while since the album was released, but I think it can still be purchased online.
About the Author
Masamichi Okazaki
Surrounded by various kinds of music from his childhood, Masamichi Okazaki joined Waseda University Modern Jazz Club. He started contributing articles to music magazines when he was a student. He covers wide range of music not only trad, modern and contemporary jazz, but also from pops to classics. He writes liner notes for CDs and LPs, and is a regular contributor to “JAZZ JAPAN,” “STEREO,” and others. He joined a big band, “Shiny Stockings,” as a saxophone player. He is a director of The Music Pen Club Japan (MPCJ).
