Yeah, for those of you who don't know who Bill Evans is, you're in for a very pleasant surprise!

A little more jazz love for our liter friends! And a couple of piano bonuses:

Hoagy Carmichael Stardust (new window)

Oscar Peterson, Nat Cole and Coleman Hawkins (new window)

Dave Brubeck Blue Rondo a la Turk (new window)

And last (but certainly not least), the man Bill Evans considered the master:
Bud Powell Cleopatra's Dream (new window)

Enjoy!

Oh, *snap*

*snap* *snap* *snap* *snap*...

*snappity* *snap* *snap* *snap*

*snappity* *snap* *snap* *snap*

*snappity* *snap* *snap* *snap*

Evans was a junkie who didn't pay his sidemen. But no one's perfect, though.

Don't forget about Scott LeFaro!

/and poland!

Try some Scott Joplin or Glenn Miller for some great jazz.

Excellent! I saw Joey D's trio play this last weekend.

jonasborg: Try some Scott Joplin or Glenn Miller for some great jazz.

Ugh, the opinions of a Yuppie on jazz. No thanks.

Other good pianists (that I like) to check out: Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Keith Jarrett, Uri Caine, Florian Ross, Brad Mehldau, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Frank Kimbrough, Jason Moran, Kenny Kirkland, McCoy Tyner, Art Tatum... I'm sure I'm forgetting some, this is just off the top of my head. For organ I like Sam Yahel and Larry Goldings - both of whom play with Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart / Brain Blade in the best contemporary organ trios around.

L"a"Faro.

/Poland!

mitchcumpstein: Other good pianists (that I like) to check out: Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Keith Jarrett, Uri Caine, Florian Ross, Brad Mehldau, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Frank Kimbrough, Jason Moran, Kenny Kirkland, McCoy Tyner, Art Tatum... I'm sure I'm forgetting some, this is just off the top of my head. For organ I like Sam Yahel and Larry Goldings - both of whom play with Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart / Brain Blade in the best contemporary organ trios around.

You forgot Lyle Mays!

I have more records by Bill Evans than any other jazz artist... He was so freakin' tasty.

Sadly, he suffered his whole career under the delusion that he was unworthy to play with "real" jazzmen because he was a) white and b) classically trained. The poor bastard. What a gift he had.

Bill Evans was one of the greats, for sure. I'm also a big fan of Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, Brubeck, and the other usual suspects...

There are others who may be lesser known, but are well worth checking out: Mulgrew Miller, Jacky Terrasson, and the sadly deceased but brilliant Michel Petrucciani, to name a few.

By the way, for tons of great, legal jazz downloads on the cheap, try eMusic. They have most of the Prestige, Riverside, Fantasy, Contemporary, and New Jazz back catalog, and loads of other awesome stuff.

Evans is a legend, but how have we made it this far without mentioning jazz great Keith Jarrett?

Very cool. Thanks, subby.

/How to improve the Music Tab: less celebrity nonsense, more actual music

Evans is a legend, but how have we made it this far without mentioning jazz great Keith Jarrett?

Someone mentioned him above, but he's worth mentioning twice. My Song is one of the prettiest jazz tunes I've heard to date, up there with Blue and Green.

Likes me some Bill Evans but 'Waltz for Debby'?

This is a stereotypical Evans choice.

carmody:
Sadly, he suffered his whole career under the delusion that he was unworthy to play with "real" jazzmen

Like Miles Davis?

I highly recommend this video-- Bill Evans talking about practice, the creative process, and even playing some with his trio. Here's part one:

Link (new window)

Hadn't seen that before, thanks for including that link, mctom.

Cheers.

Here's a clip of Ralph Towner playing Miles' Nardis. I'm under the impression that Bill Evans is the one that made it popular though, not Miles. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Ralph Towner Plays Nardis (new window)

Link (new window)

My old teacher and friend, John Stowell playing solo (and heavily inspired by Bill Evans)..

Love Ralphs version!

Dave Brubeck on my turn table. Mere coincidence, I think not. Liked Evans playing on Miles' "Kind of Blue". I hear something different every time I listen to it. Surprised there is no love here for Diana Krall, she's way cuter than Bill!!

little known fact - Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" was recorded in the same studio, with the same piano, about a month or two before "Kind of Blue". Evans made some comment about how Brubeck had beaten the piano so thoroughly that there wasn't any felt left on the hammers. Ever listen to "Kind of Blue" and wonder why the piano sounds a little thin? Now you know why...

Also appears on Chet Baker's "Chet" album, my favorite jazz album of all time.

Art Tatum (^) You'll probably need headphones to catch it all. This man was amazing.

Fats Waller FTW.