I was the technical director on this show. What an amazing series of jazz shows we did back then. The video quality compared to todays standards is pretty poor but the audio and the performances are superb! And I dearly miss the director, John Beyer, who made this and many more shows I worked on a real joy.
Dear Mr Don, I was a Berklee student from 75 till 79, and I'm trying to find out if there is any register of his performance at the JazzWorkshop (I don't remeber now if it was in 78 or 79..) the bass player was Eddie Gomez. Thanks a lot. Ricardo Simões from Brasil
Don Sears Did anyone ever have an explanation of why they brought one of the great jazz artists of all time all the way out to Iowa, without bothering to provide him with a tuned piano? Such an incredible shame, since the video footage is so precious and he died soon after.
Choughzev On almost every music show I have worked on the piano is tuned right before the show. Frankly, I don't hear a tuning problem. I just hear great playing.
I hired the Bill Evans Trio in Victoria BC , provided my piano and tuned it for Bill. I have a recording of that memorable night in June 1980. Bill and I had dinner, spoke of him maybe moving to beautiful Vancouver Island, dreams unrealized. Bill kindly shared some musical ideas with me, a younger jazz pianist and I am eternally grateful for Bill's inspiration. I have over 70 of Bill Evans albums and his genius has inspired millions. Bill's virtuosity, sensitive, emotional playing has blessed the world forever. Bill Evans lives on through his music. Keith Allison.
Is the Evans estate prohibiting you from having it released? If not pls post. If so it is a shame. Otherwise not sure why mention you publicly -have the recording.
I met Bill when he was at the top of his game in the early '70's. He played a gig at a jazz club in Buffalo N.Y called the "Revillot Lounge", and I was sent there to cover the show and to interview him for my family's local entertainment magazine. I was only seventeen or eighteen years old at the time! Bill gave a sterling performance. He was already beginning to suffer from the effects of the Hep C which later took his life. His wife told us that he would inject heroin into his fingers before a performance to kill the pain. That's dedication. Probably the greatest and most prolific jazz pianist of all time left us far too soon.
My wife and I were watching this video on PBS when a friend called to tell us that Bill had died that very day. He was my "main man", and I couldn't listen to his recordings for about 6 months after that. I knew him slightly, and we had a number of conversations over the years, for which I'm eternally grateful. BTW, this was not his last performance. He continued performing for nearly two more years, until shortly before his death on 15 September 1980.
There was music professor at Penn State U. who introduced me to Bill Evan's music. Both are now gone but grateful to be able to still listen to a great, great artist.
His touch to the keys is so painful and yet so true and colourful. As he plays, he is capable of evoking a poignant memory to the listener in such a way that I feel personally connected to him. I think that's what makes Bill Evans so awesome, he paints a melody with his fingers that goes right through your throat and shows you that he felt that same way too... I will forever love Bill for what he did for me and for all of his listeners
The 1st time I heard Bill Evans was his Blue & Green recording. By then he was gone and I had no idea of who he was, the album was on the 50% rack at the music store and I liked the cover. Then I listen to it on my father’s stereo system. I was 22 years old and the music was hunting, emotional and beautiful. I’ve never considered music in such a way, however, this was something different. To this day, and 40 years later Bill Evans music moves me, almost to tears. His touch and emotion that he brought out in his music is unmatched. He’s long gone, However, his music will live forever.
This music can lift you out of this troubled and depressing world of today. This tremendous gift of creative expression and incredible technique gives you some kind of hope that something so much better is intended for mankind than the horrors of the 21st century.
This was literally at the peak of Bill’s depression. It didn’t lift him out. He died the following year from poor health management due to his crippling depression. His brother had just committed suicide.
@@tonalambiguity3345 its heart wrenching for you... thats your perception and a depression you choose to focus on. Despite his depression.. his music is lifting and was lifting for him otherwise he'd of stopped playing wayyy before this time. The instrument is in fact the tool us musicians use to keep the very last strand of hope alive...the last bit of happiness if you will. Does that make sense? Hang in there...
@@deepstereotv Great sense - people who get so upset by what they 'see' should use their ears instead - there is nothing depressing at all about Bill Evans making great music - I agree with you
Collected jazz for 50 years ..... Bill is the wind beneath my wings .... I enjoy all types of music, jazz and otherwise, but Bill is the one that digs into my heart and just won't leave ..... his music touches the very deepest parts of my soul. I saw him once ... and that was enough for a lifetime. RIP, Bill.
@@BernieHolland-w4lHi. Not sure if you know that "Wind beneath my wings" is the title of a Bette Middler song which she sang for the police officers & Firemen in New York after 9/11. Beautiful song. It is indeed a lovely way to describe Bill Evan's influence.
a very common passage for Bill Evans, a fast arpeggio downwards changing the starting note several times in a sort of cascade-like movement. Yes, he was a genius. But this particular passage does not characterize your "above genius" remark. 14:48-14:58 = above genius
His playing in the last few years of his life was tempestuous, more intricate rhythmically and harmonically, restless. That airy, spacious feel of the late 60's was gone.
Setlist 00:24~04:56 Re: Person I Knew(Evans) 05:12~12:32 Midnight Mood(Zawinul) 12:40~18:30 The Peacocks(Rowles) 18:48~23:05 Theme From M.A.S.H.(Suicide Is Painless)(Mandel) 23:30~29:06 Quiet Now(Zeitlin) 29:08~35:10 Up With The Lark(Kern) 35:10~43:30 In Your Own Sweet Way(Brubeck) 43:40~50:10 I Do It For Your Love(Simon) 50:10~end My Romance(Rodgers/Hart)
I knew Jazz pianist Jimmy Rowles from the LA Jazz dive circuit & His 2 daughters & Rowles's "The Peacocks" is a Rembrandt... which Bill Evans climbs inside.....
I just recently discovered Bill Evans' work and now I can't stop listening to it. Especially this last trio... I'm in awe. Thank you Bill, Marc, Joe! Thank you RUclips-algorithm. You've enriched my life!
Bill Evans, we all should study this guy forever, What timing and touch and original trajectories like shooting stars to my ears and heart, Thanks so much for posting this precious farewell concert.
No danger of that. Few have ever known his music. He's a musician's musician, requiring: 1. Knowledge of the standards from the Great American Songbook that he chose to play; 2. an ability to analyze, or at least a keen appreciation of, his rapidly changing harmonies and keys (Tatum's complexity didn't even depend upon substitute, or altered, harmonies. What he does within the conventional formats of the 32-bar popular song is the equivalent of what Shakespeare could do within the strictly defined form of the sonnet.)
"The greatest jazz pianist of all times" - that is a very bold, maybe extravagant comment - but - you know - I agree with you - Bill Evans has never been surpassed
@@BernieHolland-w4l Indeed, a very bold statement. Yet no one has denied it because they can't... at least not yet. But I am hopeful. And I wait. And I listen...
Im currently 17 and am sick of the overplayed crap I hear on the radio!! I truly wish with all my heart that this music comes back into style in a huge way!
Hi Chitara, I hope you have found a way to hear and support live jazz, wherever you are living. We have a weekly Monday night jazz jam at Petra's, in my town of Charlotte NC. It is a legacy tribute jam in honor of Bill Hanna, the "godfather" of jazz in Charlotte. Some of his students and colleagues have committed to continuing his practice of ensuring young and new players have a place to experience performing jazz for a live audience.
"Re: Person I Knew". It's an anagram on the name of Orrin Keepnews, the co-owner of Riverside Records, for which Bill first recorded on a regular basis.
Indeed. Considering now-a-days people will pay $28.50 to see a Guy eat 30+ Jalapenos and 50 tacos. Oh well, we never really believed all that stuff about culture anyway, did we?
There is a CD:"His Last Concert In Germany"(rec.August 15.1980 in Bad Hönningen).It was his last recording date. CD 2022 Westwind Greetings from Germany
As a novice listener to Jazz...novice EAR I should say... have listened to it around my michigan campfire on Saturday nights since early 2000s. But subsequently vinyl. Kind of Blue, Miles, Coltrane. Got to know some key players. Monk, Roach, Brubeck, Blake, Tatum et al. Anyway, Evans was My piano man. Still just love his posture, slick back hair, so Into his groove, ear to the keys. Peace Piece....when I listen to it I close my eyes as listen to the phases of my life go by. Childhood, teen years, dating marriage, divorce(the discord)and finding myself again...the future unknown. That's just My interpretation. But I suggest it to anyone. Let yourself relax and watch your life through his lilting fingerplay. Thanks Bill. R.I.P. Oh...plus it helps to feel a little buzz. Y.w.
He was successful in his lifetime so he probably knew. Where else is all that money coming from? From selling lots and lots of records and that happens when people like your music. Pretty simple. If only he loved himself more...
I have practically everything bill has ever recorded and I swear his playing just kept getting better and better. The two guys he has accompanying him are top-notch players. I'd love to get this concert on CD.
I've always greatly admired Bill Evans after seeing him at Ronnie Scotts many years ago. His insightful and highly innovative style was absolutely unique among pianists, there was never a superfluous note in an Evans performance.
Tracklist: 1 Re: person I know 00:00:25 2 Midnight mood 00:05:12 3 Peacocks 00:12:41 4 Theme from M.A.S.H. 00:18:49 5 Quiet now 00:23:40 6 Up with the lark 00:29:08 7 In your own sweet way 00:35:20 8 I do it for your love 00:43:54 9 My romance 00:50:20
I use to catch Jimmy Rowles who wrote 'Peacocks' periodically gigging at LA's SFV jazz clubs I use to frequent.... Jimmy was a kick & his daughter, Stacy on trumpet, flugelhorn & vocals often worked with her dad, Jimmy at many LA supper club venues
Bill played at his alma mater, Southeastern Louisiana University, only a few months before passing. It was an incredible evening; he even addressed one of his former teachers and classmates in addition to introducing the tune. He also held a very nice interview on the CD "Homecoming."
This is such a great performance! Bill Evans was and will always be a musical hero of mine whose playing has deeply influenced me as an improviser and composer. One of the greatest to play the instrument!
Bill Evans is one of my absolute favourite Pianists. I have so many... He however is one of the Pianists who readily comes to mind & really inspires me as a Pianist/Keyboard Player. I never had the honor & pleasure of meeting him in person. I am grateful for his musical legacy & wonderful contribution to our world. I am most grateful to you Friskounet for posting this video. Thank you so much. Blessings to you all.
This was NOT Bill last performance! His last performance was in September 1980. I'm not sure the club in NY where that was. I saw him October 31, 1980 in San Francisco, Keystone Korner. His hands were quite swollen. This was a sign of impending kidney failure which finally took his life Sept 15, 1980. Just to set the record straight... I provided the piano, my Steinway "D" that I rebuilt and tuned for Bill and Dave McKenna at the Lulu White Boston performance Oct 30, 1979. I owned a piano rebuilding shop next door at 5 Appleton Street. I lived upstairs over Lulu White's on the 3rd floor. My girlfriend Veronique cooked a spectacular "Canard ala Orange" (orange duck) for dinner that night, and fed Bill and Marc and Joe. It was a memorable evening, one I'll never forget. Dinner with Bill Evans, Marc Johnson, Joe La Barbera, Doshie Powers, Micky Coutant, Veronique Prudhomme, and a piano performance I'll never forget. - David McCord
Do you mean you saw him October 31, 1979? If he passed in September 1980. Awesome memories! I was born 5 years after BE's death, but I have had the pleasure of seeing Jim Hall and Paul Motian at the Village Vanguard, and Dave Brubeck at the Blue Note. I'm glad I went when I did, since Brubeck and Motian already are no longer with us. This is all within the last 6 years.
His last performance occurred during the first 2 weeks of September at the Keystone Korner, San Francisco. He flew back to NYC, was unable to play the next gig at the Village Vanguard in NYC, and died on Sept. 15, shortly after Joe LaBarbera had carried him into the ER. If you look at Bill's hands early in his career, you'll notice that his fingers are abnormally large--both in terms of their length and their width. Add to these natural "tone extractors" (he never had to hammer, pound, or hit the keys) his powerful, broad shoulders (he was no "skinny introverted intellectual," as he has sometimes been characterized), and you have the perfect physical specimen for playing the piano. He had only to "touch" the keys to extract the instrument's full sonorities (not possible by players with thin frames who moreover stand up while playing). And by bringing the full weight of his arms and fingers, using his shoulders for leveraging, he made a piano resonate with rumblings unheard of by dozens of pianists who pound, slam, and "elbow" the instrument. Moreover, Bill was dead accurate--his inerrant fingers capable of striking every note not only with precision but with equal pressure--in the left hand as well as the right, each finger in control of outer and inner voices. He's the only pianist I've heard who could drop drums, bass--and even left hand--and still make the listener feel as though he'd heard the entire instrument.
This was actually recorded at the Maintenance Shop in Iowa and Bill was quite disapointed with the state of the piano. Good performance but I am sure he would say definetely not one of his best.
people with this much talent I cant understand the need for things like heroin most of us would love to have just a little of his talent. As I hack away on the piano I can only dream to play like that. Thank you for posting this wonderful video
The same is true of many 'legit" artists--in literature and music. When people use Bill's lifestyle choices against him, I simply remind them of some of the sad, tragic circumstances of composers like Schubert and Schumann--or the great Romantic poets, who burned out by 30 (and one who lived into old age--Wordsworth--didn't write much of worth after the age of 30). You can never judge a book by its cover. On the other hand, what if the artist had not dealt with these enormous tragedies and unfortunate choices? Would he have been the same artist? Would he have been "better"? For creative genius, you can't come up with easy answers or logical explanations. It's not possible to pick and choose. Out of chaos and darkness come form and light. It's the price, or "burden" of creative genius, which shows us beauty beyond what most people can't conceive of let alone know. John Keats (2nd only to Shakespeare) said it best: "Truth is Beauty; Beauty is Truth--That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."
Comments are not worthy of this language and heart ...just too COOL. Adore. perfection point and love this still lives to enjoy. Thank-you for sharing this ~
Right, he was active for over a year and a half more. We could have been at Bourbon Street that same night. And we saw BE there a few years earlier when he still had Eddie Gomez and I think Marty Morell. Well that would make it before 1976. And of course we were always at the Town Tavern in the very early days, when BE came in with Scotty LeFaro and Paul Motian and they blew everyone's minds. What a genius. What a band. What a loss. Thank goodness for the records. They never ever get old.
Don't you worry, my friend, there's no "time" (nor "space") in heaven to travel thru. All you gotta do is desearve it (and I'm sure you do), and when you die you'll see Bill Evans and whoever else you like playing. Best: for free...
@@ruivasconcelos4097 This is true. No "time." No "space." Which is to say, not such as (terrestrial) man has experienced and defined these. That one must earn, in this life, such a joy? Oh, my, goodness, yes. Peace.
Can anyone say there are others that sounds like him? Nobody I know. The unique touch of mr bill evans. My piano teachers favorite, thank you jerry Samuel of instilling in my ears the wonder of This great pianist composer.
Dear Peter: Thank you for sharing this. I am neither a professional musician nor a jazz critic, but in my humble opinion what made Bill Evans great was his ability to improvise without losing the beauty of the melody. He is the most romantic (I don't mean this in a degrading sense) jazz pianist I have ever heard.
Absolutely one of the best performances of Bill's so called "last trio", which consisted of bassist Marc Johnson, drummer Joe Labarbera. Thank you for your great work Mr. Sears. The sound is crystal clear and superb.
Love his first trio, and the 2nd, but I am loving his last trio the most lately. His playing so beautiful at this stage, most profound, right to the very end. The Keystone Corner tracks incredibly moving. He knew the end was near and was living to play. Read "How My Heart Sings" book, puts it all in perspective and so many records and live videos available to refer to. Best time to get into Bill.
This is incredibly moving & beautiful . Every tune. So very bittersweet. "In Your Own Sweet Way"...So wonderful...."Up With The Lark"...and "I do it for your love...Ahh...Exquisite. Really there are no words to articulately reveal Bill Evan and his musicianship. RIP, forever.
Yes, I concur - this was not his last performance. I saw him perform in SF roughly Sept 1, 1980, about 2 weeks before he died. Joe and Marc and I went to breakfast after the gig and worried about Bill whose hands were quite swollen (impending kidney failure) He played well anyway. I provided Steinway pianos for him and tuned for him whenever he played in Boston during 1977 to 80. I also knew him a little bit.
I caught Bill Evans, I want to say in late August 1980 at a Jam-packed LA Hollywood Bowl summer evening Jazz series concert entitled "Piano Masters" with Brubeck & Shearing & you could hear a pin drop from the top of the Hollywood Bowl where I was seated on that Sacred evening...
Increible ,pero cierto.....que manera de tocar y armonizar......uyyyy!! pasa el tiempo y parece que fué un sueño verlo por ultima vez en el 79 en una actuacion de despedida ......impresionante, con un joven Marc Jhonson y un Labarbera , que me marcaron con un Adios Maestro!!!!!
My hometown, Ames, IA! I was 13, stupid, and didn't know who Bill Evans was at that time!❤️ Couple years later I saw a production of PIPPIN in that same space and was freaked out how intimate it was with the actors singing right up in my face!
Ho cominciato da poco ad ascoltare i brani di Bill Evans ..mi sono innamorata della sua musica strepitosa e non smetto di ascoltarla appena posso ..rilassante meravigliosa... al mare eun connubio favoloso
I was at his last performance, but he didn't show up, he passed away the same night, one of my saddest experience ever. My wife and myself were on visit from Europe.
I was there as well. Joe LaBarbara describes it in his book. I remember the club owner announcing that Bill was sick and that his replacement was a student of Bill “who plays like Bill”. What a disappointment. They should have given us something: drinks, money back, whatever.
miles screwed him on his royalties, Bill wrote it. Miles offered him $25 in a check lol Plus he had to put up with all the cat calls and problems being the only white guy in the group, and they talk about us! lol
Bin eigentlich kein grosser Jazz Kenner, doch berührt mich das Klavierspiel von Bill Evans tief im Herzen. Eine empfindsame, grosse Seele. Er hat auch seinen Mitmusikern enorme Möglichkeiten geschenkt sich in seine Welt einzufühlen und damit über sich selbst hinauszuwachsen. Für mich einmalig und großartig...
I was able to meet and greet with Bill Evans back in the day. I was excited but he was not all that excited to hear about my beginner-intermediate piano playing stuff. However he did say to me the following: "Don't worry so much and just go with it."
Genius on display shinning a torch for aspiring jazz pianists the world over. Loved the David Bruce comment below: "I knew him a little bit" .How modest ! Many of us would have cleaned his shoes for nothing just to be in reach of the hem of his jacket!
something about his style makes me yearn for a horn section. Having said that his music grows on me. Played a little jaunty tune around 29:00 that had got my attention. Good upload!
This may be the most complete video of Bill's final trio. It's 1979 date--in Iowa, I believe. But Bill would evolve much more and in short order. His last complete performance is his stand the week before his death (9/15/80) in Frisco 2 sets of 8-disc CDs--"Consecration" and "The Last Waltz"--representing his entire 8-night stand. The evenness of both hands--the density of the chords--none of Bill's alleged proteges comes close. The piano sings as though from his emotive center.
It always amazed me how gentle he was with the keyboards. He literally coaxed the sound out...can't think of another jazz pianist who caressed the keys the way he did......almost like a person with a lower modulated voice who somehow gets people to listen even when they aren't the loudest voice in the room....
Gentle looks to be the quality he presents in his playing. He played with Miles Davis and set the tone with this style, never in competition. Although I recognize his ability, I like blues flavored piano players whose improvisations tell a story. Evans traditional and lyrical style likely appeals more to the introspective listeners.
I caught Bill Evans at a Jam-packed Hollywood Bowl summer evening concert not long before Bill passed, I was seated at the top of the Bowl in the tree section & you could hear a pin drop as We were all So into every note played & the 'Acoustics were exceptional for this mammoth outdoor Cahuenga Canyon Hollywood Bowl Theatre
BILL EVANS, A TOUJOURS DANS SON D N A, UN IMMENSE TALENT D'ABSTRACTION MÉLODIQUE, HARMONIQUE, QUI NOS FASCINE ET FASCINERA, TOUJOURS...!!! SON LYRISME EST TELLEMENT CONCRET ET ABSTRACT, QUI SURGIT DANS L'HORIZON, QUELQUE CHOSE D'ÉTRANGE, QUE INQUÈTE NOTRE ESPRIT...!!! Directement de Salvador - Bahia - BRASIL.
I was the technical director on this show. What an amazing series of jazz shows we did back then. The video quality compared to todays standards is pretty poor but the audio and the performances are superb! And I dearly miss the director, John Beyer, who made this and many more shows I worked on a real joy.
Dear Mr Don, I was a Berklee student from 75 till 79, and I'm trying to find out if there is any register of his performance at the JazzWorkshop (I don't remeber now if it was in 78 or 79..) the bass player was Eddie Gomez.
Thanks a lot.
Ricardo Simões from Brasil
*****
Not that I know of.
Don Sears Did anyone ever have an explanation of why they brought one of the great jazz artists of all time all the way out to Iowa, without bothering to provide him with a tuned piano? Such an incredible shame, since the video footage is so precious and he died soon after.
Choughzev
On almost every music show I have worked on the piano is tuned right before the show. Frankly, I don't hear a tuning problem. I just hear great playing.
+Don Sears Sounds great. Good Job Don and others. Not least Bill and his band :)
I hired the Bill Evans Trio in Victoria BC , provided my piano and tuned it for Bill. I have a recording of that memorable night in June 1980. Bill and I had dinner, spoke of him maybe moving to beautiful Vancouver Island, dreams unrealized. Bill kindly shared some musical ideas with me, a younger jazz pianist and I am eternally grateful for Bill's inspiration. I have over 70 of Bill Evans albums and his genius has inspired millions. Bill's virtuosity, sensitive, emotional playing has blessed the world forever. Bill Evans lives on through his music. Keith Allison.
lucky you!!!
That's a great story.
please post the recording, please share
Is the Evans estate prohibiting you from having it released? If not pls post. If so it is a shame. Otherwise not sure why mention you publicly -have the recording.
@@golds04 where is the mention of this recording?
I met Bill when he was at the top of his game in the early '70's. He played a gig at a jazz club in Buffalo N.Y called the "Revillot Lounge", and I was sent there to cover the show and to interview him for my family's local entertainment magazine. I was only seventeen or eighteen years old at the time! Bill gave a sterling performance. He was already beginning to suffer from the effects of the Hep C which later took his life. His wife told us that he would inject heroin into his fingers before a performance to kill the pain. That's dedication. Probably the greatest and most prolific jazz pianist of all time left us far too soon.
...surely the best jazz pianist and not olnly jazz ex aequo with Glenn Gould and Telonious Monk...
My wife and I were watching this video on PBS when a friend called to tell us that Bill had died that very day. He was my "main man", and I couldn't listen to his recordings for about 6 months after that. I knew him slightly, and we had a number of conversations over the years, for which I'm eternally grateful.
BTW, this was not his last performance. He continued performing for nearly two more years, until shortly before his death on 15 September 1980.
There was music professor at Penn State U. who introduced me to Bill Evan's music.
Both are now gone but grateful to be able to still listen to a great, great artist.
What Bill Evans left behind is pure Gold
+Moysha Barnett Pure beautiful gold.....we could go on...
+Moysha Barnett I agree. Most spiritual pianist ever!
+Moysha Barnett Oh no, he's priceless unlike gold.
This is magic. RIP Bill.
His touch to the keys is so painful and yet so true and colourful. As he plays, he is capable of evoking a poignant memory to the listener in such a way that I feel personally connected to him. I think that's what makes Bill Evans so awesome, he paints a melody with his fingers that goes right through your throat and shows you that he felt that same way too...
I will forever love Bill for what he did for me and for all of his listeners
Beautifully said
Took me years to fully comprehend and appreciate late bill evans. Now I recognize it as some of the greatest music of all time.
That reminds me of how I felt about Dave Brubeck, but Bill Evans, I was blown away the first time I heard him!
I was influenced by Bill Evans since the first time that I heard him. I was a teenager. After 40 years he remains a daily partner.
This looks like sacred space to me. Jazz is truly a meditation that opens up emotions. Bill Evans was the best.
"El jazz es verdaderamente una meditación que abre emociones" Thank you!!
ALL ranking is childish. Andrew Hill ...
@sulevisydanmaa9981 I'll take that on board, as I know Andrew is one of the best when it comes to getting to the heart of the matter....
The 1st time I heard Bill Evans was his Blue & Green recording. By then he was gone and I had no idea of who he was, the
album was on the 50% rack at the music store and I liked the cover. Then I
listen to it on my father’s stereo system. I was 22 years old and the music was
hunting, emotional and beautiful. I’ve never considered music in such a way,
however, this was something different.
To this day, and 40 years later Bill Evans music moves me,
almost to tears. His touch and emotion that he brought out in his music is
unmatched. He’s long gone, However, his music will live forever.
This music can lift you out of this troubled and depressing world of today. This tremendous gift of creative expression and incredible technique gives you some kind of hope that something so much better is intended for mankind than the horrors of the 21st century.
This was literally at the peak of Bill’s depression. It didn’t lift him out. He died the following year from poor health management due to his crippling depression. His brother had just committed suicide.
This is heart wrenching to watch
@@tonalambiguity3345 its heart wrenching for you... thats your perception and a depression you choose to focus on. Despite his depression.. his music is lifting and was lifting for him otherwise he'd of stopped playing wayyy before this time. The instrument is in fact the tool us musicians use to keep the very last strand of hope alive...the last bit of happiness if you will. Does that make sense? Hang in there...
@@deepstereotv Great sense - people who get so upset by what they 'see' should use their ears instead - there is nothing depressing at all about Bill Evans making great music - I agree with you
'Yes!......
This man was an impossible, impressive level of genius.
Collected jazz for 50 years ..... Bill is the wind beneath my wings .... I enjoy all types of music, jazz and otherwise, but Bill is the one that digs into my heart and just won't leave ..... his music touches the very deepest parts of my soul. I saw him once ... and that was enough for a lifetime. RIP, Bill.
lovely words. I never saw him play. Been to the Village vanguard twice, in Homage. Tried to feel his presence.. emotion was poerful
forrest lowe
"Bill is the wind beneath my wings" - wow ! what a beautiful comment
@@BernieHolland-w4lHi. Not sure if you know that "Wind beneath my wings" is the title of a Bette Middler song which she sang for the police officers & Firemen in New York after 9/11. Beautiful song. It is indeed a lovely way to describe Bill Evan's influence.
Grateful to have heard him at the Vanguard in 1969, have listened to his music always, it never palls.I share your views.
OMG!....47:42... Bill went above genius. Totally amazing performance. Thank you so much for this!
Nice to see you here.
He went super genius
what a surprice, yur a guru yourself Kent Hewitt
a very common passage for Bill Evans, a fast arpeggio downwards changing the starting note several times in a sort of cascade-like movement. Yes, he was a genius. But this particular passage does not characterize your "above genius" remark. 14:48-14:58 = above genius
Wow. I was just listening to this on affinity before I came over here.
His playing in the last few years of his life was tempestuous, more intricate rhythmically and harmonically, restless. That airy, spacious feel of the late 60's was gone.
Yes, I guess I was noticing the same. Thank you.
Deep depression
Setlist
00:24~04:56 Re: Person I Knew(Evans)
05:12~12:32 Midnight Mood(Zawinul)
12:40~18:30 The Peacocks(Rowles)
18:48~23:05 Theme From M.A.S.H.(Suicide Is Painless)(Mandel)
23:30~29:06 Quiet Now(Zeitlin)
29:08~35:10 Up With The Lark(Kern)
35:10~43:30 In Your Own Sweet Way(Brubeck)
43:40~50:10 I Do It For Your Love(Simon)
50:10~end My Romance(Rodgers/Hart)
Midnight Mood (Joe Zawinul )
erzenico Thank you
It can't be, wheres gary's waltz?
I knew Jazz pianist Jimmy Rowles from the LA Jazz dive circuit & His 2 daughters & Rowles's "The Peacocks" is a Rembrandt... which Bill Evans climbs inside.....
Obrigado, @erzenico
I just recently discovered Bill Evans' work and now I can't stop listening to it. Especially this last trio... I'm in awe. Thank you Bill, Marc, Joe! Thank you RUclips-algorithm. You've enriched my life!
What a loss. But, Bill lives forever. What a blessing.
Bill Evans, we all should study this guy forever, What timing and touch and original trajectories like shooting stars to my ears and heart, Thanks so much for posting this precious farewell concert.
The greatest.
The greatest jazz pianist of all times.
No matter.
Don't forget Art Tatum by the way :)
No danger of that. Few have ever known his music. He's a musician's musician, requiring: 1. Knowledge of the standards from the Great American Songbook that he chose to play; 2. an ability to analyze, or at least a keen appreciation of, his rapidly changing harmonies and keys (Tatum's complexity didn't even depend upon substitute, or altered, harmonies. What he does within the conventional formats of the 32-bar popular song is the equivalent of what Shakespeare could do within the strictly defined form of the sonnet.)
"The greatest jazz pianist of all times" - that is a very bold, maybe extravagant comment - but - you know - I agree with you - Bill Evans has never been surpassed
Hands down!
@@BernieHolland-w4l Indeed, a very bold statement. Yet no one has denied it because they can't... at least not yet. But I am hopeful. And I wait. And I listen...
Im currently 17 and am sick of the overplayed crap I hear on the radio!! I truly wish with all my heart that this music comes back into style in a huge way!
You wouldn't have heard this on the radio in '79 either
Hi Chitara, I hope you have found a way to hear and support live jazz, wherever you are living. We have a weekly Monday night jazz jam at Petra's, in my town of Charlotte NC. It is a legacy tribute jam in honor of Bill Hanna, the "godfather" of jazz in Charlotte. Some of his students and colleagues have committed to continuing his practice of ensuring young and new players have a place to experience performing jazz for a live audience.
Keep it alive my young friend...you are the bearer of the Evans torch....let it never extinguish!
You give people hope.
Nothing short of breathtaking. Bill Evans on piano and Napoleon Dynamite on bass. 'Heck yesss!' What more could you want?
Girls like guys with skills. Nunchuck skills, jazz bass skills, etc...
"Re: Person I Knew". It's an anagram on the name of Orrin Keepnews, the co-owner of Riverside Records, for which Bill first recorded on a regular basis.
Bill Evans last performance, I have not seen this before. His artistry remains forevermore ❤ Marc Johnson, Joe LaBarbera
Absolutely amazing!
No it's just more than that!
Indeed. Considering now-a-days people will pay $28.50 to see a Guy eat 30+ Jalapenos and 50 tacos. Oh well, we never really believed all that stuff about culture anyway, did we?
Not half as amazing as your performance in Last Temptation of Christ. Bravo sir!
Willy Dafoe Happy 60th.
How chilled and relaxed people used to be without ugly handy phones stuck in your face, Bill lived the best era :)
Bill. We wish you were with us still.
Stunning,fluid effortless and oh so sweet.
His playing is magnificent on this album...hard to believe he left us so soon after....
The Peacocks hits my soul in the spots that cannot heal. I dont care for the tears, it makes me feel alive.. for which i'm grateful. Thanks Bill
There is a CD:"His Last Concert In Germany"(rec.August 15.1980 in Bad Hönningen).It was his last recording date. CD 2022 Westwind
Greetings from Germany
As a novice listener to Jazz...novice EAR I should say... have listened to it around my michigan campfire on Saturday nights since early 2000s.
But subsequently vinyl. Kind of Blue, Miles, Coltrane. Got to know some key players. Monk, Roach, Brubeck, Blake, Tatum et al. Anyway, Evans was My piano man. Still just love his posture, slick back hair, so Into his groove, ear to the keys.
Peace Piece....when I listen to it I close my eyes as listen to the phases of my life go by. Childhood, teen years, dating marriage, divorce(the discord)and finding myself again...the future unknown. That's just My interpretation. But I suggest it to anyone. Let yourself relax and watch your life through his lilting fingerplay. Thanks Bill. R.I.P.
Oh...plus it helps to feel a little buzz. Y.w.
Marc Johnson is amazing 🤩
SO BEAUTIFUL.... emotion, lyricism, harmonies, chemistry between the trio..... loss of words
Closest thing to magic.
My music would be so much less without his influence. Thank you Bill.
Sadly he probably had no idea how loved he was.
He was successful in his lifetime so he probably knew. Where else is all that money coming from? From selling lots and lots of records and that happens when people like your music. Pretty simple. If only he loved himself more...
I have practically everything bill has ever recorded and I swear his playing just kept getting better and better. The two guys he has accompanying him are top-notch players. I'd love to get this concert on CD.
I've always greatly admired Bill Evans after seeing him at Ronnie Scotts many years ago. His insightful and highly innovative style was absolutely unique among pianists, there was never a superfluous note in an Evans performance.
Tracklist:
1 Re: person I know 00:00:25
2 Midnight mood 00:05:12
3 Peacocks 00:12:41
4 Theme from M.A.S.H. 00:18:49
5 Quiet now 00:23:40
6 Up with the lark 00:29:08
7 In your own sweet way 00:35:20
8 I do it for your love 00:43:54
9 My romance 00:50:20
I use to catch Jimmy Rowles who wrote 'Peacocks' periodically gigging at LA's SFV jazz clubs I use to frequent.... Jimmy was a kick & his daughter, Stacy on trumpet, flugelhorn & vocals often worked with her dad, Jimmy at many LA supper club venues
Bill played at his alma mater, Southeastern Louisiana University, only a few months before passing. It was an incredible evening; he even addressed one of his former teachers and classmates in addition to introducing the tune. He also held
a very nice interview on the CD "Homecoming."
This is such a great performance! Bill Evans was and will always be a musical hero of mine whose playing has deeply influenced me as an improviser and composer. One of the greatest to play the instrument!
great Bill always in my soul...I'll never will say good bye...
Bill Evans is one of my absolute favourite Pianists. I have so many... He however is one of the Pianists who readily comes to mind & really inspires me as a Pianist/Keyboard Player. I never had the honor & pleasure of meeting him in person. I am grateful for his musical legacy & wonderful contribution to our world. I am most grateful to you Friskounet for posting this video. Thank you so much. Blessings to you all.
This was NOT Bill last performance! His last performance was in September 1980. I'm not sure the club in NY where that was. I saw him October 31, 1980 in San Francisco, Keystone Korner. His hands were quite swollen. This was a sign of impending kidney failure which finally took his life Sept 15, 1980. Just to set the record straight...
I provided the piano, my Steinway "D" that I rebuilt and tuned for Bill and Dave McKenna at the Lulu White Boston performance Oct 30, 1979. I owned a piano rebuilding shop next door at 5 Appleton Street. I lived upstairs over Lulu White's on the 3rd floor. My girlfriend Veronique cooked a spectacular "Canard ala Orange" (orange duck) for dinner that night, and fed Bill and Marc and Joe. It was a memorable evening, one I'll never forget. Dinner with Bill Evans, Marc Johnson, Joe La Barbera, Doshie Powers, Micky Coutant, Veronique Prudhomme, and a piano performance I'll never forget. - David McCord
was it his ghost then?
Do you mean you saw him October 31, 1979? If he passed in September 1980.
Awesome memories! I was born 5 years after BE's death, but I have had the pleasure of seeing Jim Hall and Paul Motian at the Village Vanguard, and Dave Brubeck at the Blue Note. I'm glad I went when I did, since Brubeck and Motian already are no longer with us. This is all within the last 6 years.
Kurt Juergens And now Jim Hall, also, is gone.
RIP, Jim--my all-time favorite guitarist.
His last performance occurred during the first 2 weeks of September at the Keystone Korner, San Francisco. He flew back to NYC, was unable to play the next gig at the Village Vanguard in NYC, and died on Sept. 15, shortly after Joe LaBarbera had carried him into the ER. If you look at Bill's hands early in his career, you'll notice that his fingers are abnormally large--both in terms of their length and their width. Add to these natural "tone extractors" (he never had to hammer, pound, or hit the keys) his powerful, broad shoulders (he was no "skinny introverted intellectual," as he has sometimes been characterized), and you have the perfect physical specimen for playing the piano. He had only to "touch" the keys to extract the instrument's full sonorities (not possible by players with thin frames who moreover stand up while playing). And by bringing the full weight of his arms and fingers, using his shoulders for leveraging, he made a piano resonate with rumblings unheard of by dozens of pianists who pound, slam, and "elbow" the instrument. Moreover, Bill was dead accurate--his inerrant fingers capable of striking every note not only with precision but with equal pressure--in the left hand as well as the right, each finger in control of outer and inner voices. He's the only pianist I've heard who could drop drums, bass--and even left hand--and still make the listener feel as though he'd heard the entire instrument.
This was actually recorded at the Maintenance Shop in Iowa and Bill was quite disapointed with the state of the piano. Good performance but I am sure he would say definetely not one of his best.
people with this much talent I cant understand the need for things like heroin
most of us would love to have just a little of his talent. As I hack away on the piano I can only dream to play like that.
Thank you for posting this wonderful video
yes talent and sense often dont go together.
If you had that much talent, you might understand why.
The same is true of many 'legit" artists--in literature and music. When people use Bill's lifestyle choices against him, I simply remind them of some of the sad, tragic circumstances of composers like Schubert and Schumann--or the great Romantic poets, who burned out by 30 (and one who lived into old age--Wordsworth--didn't write much of worth after the age of 30). You can never judge a book by its cover. On the other hand, what if the artist had not dealt with these enormous tragedies and unfortunate choices? Would he have been the same artist? Would he have been "better"? For creative genius, you can't come up with easy answers or logical explanations. It's not possible to pick and choose. Out of chaos and darkness come form and light. It's the price, or "burden" of creative genius, which shows us beauty beyond what most people can't conceive of let alone know. John Keats (2nd only to Shakespeare) said it best: "Truth is Beauty; Beauty is Truth--That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."
Talent comes with a baggage.
probably cause they find it all too easy..nothin left to reach for..
Oh my goodness Bill Evans and friends tearing it up!
And leave us in tears.
A genius, lost way before his time. We are blessed to have all his music.
John Pulham. Can't listen and watch this beautiful outpouring without a tear. Bill Evans so great and lost to us so young. Thanks Bill.
Legendary Bill Evans last performance in Ames, IA at the Maintenance Shop, w/ Joe LaBarbera on drums and Napoleon Dynamite on the bass.
Pianista immenso, paradisiaco
Comments are not worthy of this language and heart ...just too COOL. Adore. perfection point and love this still lives to enjoy. Thank-you for sharing this ~
Profound performance. So many great players today as well, bull they are completely out of Evans league. This guy was something special.
Bill Evans was incomparable!
@@cerval41 Bill Evans IS incomparable ! xxx
Right, he was active for over a year and a half more. We could have been at Bourbon Street that same night. And we saw BE there a few years earlier when he still had Eddie Gomez and I think Marty Morell. Well that would make it before 1976. And of course we were always at the Town Tavern in the very early days, when BE came in with Scotty LeFaro and Paul Motian and they blew everyone's minds. What a genius. What a band. What a loss. Thank goodness for the records. They never ever get old.
please god let me time travel when i die so i can see him play again
Don't you worry, my friend, there's no "time" (nor "space") in heaven to travel thru. All you gotta do is desearve it (and I'm sure you do), and when you die you'll see Bill Evans and whoever else you like playing. Best: for free...
I'm not religious and I don't really believe in God but this gave me chills
@@ruivasconcelos4097 This is true. No "time." No "space." Which is to say, not such as (terrestrial) man has experienced and defined these. That one must earn, in this life, such a joy? Oh, my, goodness, yes. Peace.
@@ruivasconcelos4097 That is a lovely comment - I believe you !
@@BernieHolland-w4l Tks Bernie.
Can anyone say there are others that sounds like him? Nobody I know. The unique touch of mr bill evans. My piano teachers favorite, thank you jerry Samuel of instilling in my ears the wonder of This great pianist composer.
Dear Peter: Thank you for sharing this. I am neither a professional musician nor a jazz critic, but in my humble opinion what made Bill Evans great was his ability to improvise without losing the beauty of the melody. He is the most romantic (I don't mean this in a degrading sense) jazz pianist I have ever heard.
Bill Evans may not have "invented" the concept of group improvisation but surely he developed it and took it to places no one else did.
Don't be fooled, a lot of hard work has gone in playing. Everything is tried and tested beforehand
Napoleon Dynamite on bass is killing it.
Fok jea. Could be him lol
I like Bill E, Thanks.
Pianist Kiyoshi from Japan
Absolutely one of the best performances of Bill's so called "last trio", which consisted of bassist Marc Johnson, drummer Joe Labarbera. Thank you for your great work Mr. Sears. The sound is crystal clear and superb.
Love his first trio, and the 2nd, but I am loving his last trio the most lately. His playing so beautiful at this stage, most profound, right to the very end. The Keystone Corner tracks incredibly moving. He knew the end was near and was living to play. Read "How My Heart Sings" book, puts it all in perspective and so many records and live videos available to refer to. Best time to get into Bill.
Great music.we need much more of the.
I would have loved to been there! Bill Evans! Wow!
This is incredibly moving & beautiful . Every tune. So very bittersweet. "In Your Own Sweet Way"...So wonderful...."Up With The Lark"...and "I do it for your love...Ahh...Exquisite. Really there are no words to articulately reveal Bill Evan and his musicianship. RIP, forever.
I agree ! Bittersweet is important - if life was just sweetness, we would all be even sicker than we are right now
Was blessed to study with Marc Johnson at NTSU for a semester. A very humble and cool guy and a great teacher.
Yes, I concur - this was not his last performance. I saw him perform in SF roughly Sept 1, 1980, about 2 weeks before he died. Joe and Marc and I went to breakfast after the gig and worried about Bill whose hands were quite swollen (impending kidney failure) He played well anyway. I provided Steinway pianos for him and tuned for him whenever he played in Boston during 1977 to 80. I also knew him a little bit.
I caught Bill Evans, I want to say in late August 1980 at a Jam-packed LA Hollywood Bowl summer evening Jazz series concert entitled "Piano Masters" with Brubeck & Shearing & you could hear a pin drop from the top of the Hollywood Bowl where I was seated on that Sacred evening...
So ill, so sad. So brilliant.
Increible ,pero cierto.....que manera de tocar y armonizar......uyyyy!! pasa el tiempo y parece que fué un sueño verlo por ultima vez en el 79 en una actuacion de despedida ......impresionante, con un joven Marc Jhonson y un Labarbera , que me marcaron con un Adios Maestro!!!!!
Walterriostango ¡Claro que si....Lo mejor!
My hometown, Ames, IA! I was 13, stupid, and didn't know who Bill Evans was at that time!❤️ Couple years later I saw a production of PIPPIN in that same space and was freaked out how intimate it was with the actors singing right up in my face!
Ho cominciato da poco ad ascoltare i brani di Bill Evans ..mi sono innamorata della sua musica strepitosa e non smetto di ascoltarla appena posso ..rilassante meravigliosa... al mare eun connubio favoloso
I was at his last performance, but he didn't show up, he passed away the same night, one of my saddest experience ever.
My wife and myself were on visit from Europe.
Wah what a story, he just passed on to another level I guess, God Bless Bill, he was the Guru of Cool and no showbizz nonsense at all.
I was there as well. Joe LaBarbara describes it in his book. I remember the club owner announcing that Bill was sick and that his replacement was a student of Bill “who plays like Bill”. What a disappointment. They should have given us something: drinks, money back, whatever.
@@robertbrown9382 a student? ok, how was him? good enough to spend a nice night?
man you are lucky to have had a chance to speak the "voice" of modern music himself. what i would give for one stellar conversation
18:50 - 19:10 This is so Beautiful
The music flows through my heart....Awesome.
His performance of My Romance on this set, blows my mind.
He OWNS the piano.
Other way 'round
Non ci sono parole...Soltanto...orecchi...e anima...
When I first heard him with Miles on Kind of Blue, I was blown away. Monk and Evans on a different planet.
miles screwed him on his royalties, Bill wrote it. Miles offered him $25 in a check lol Plus he had to put up with all the cat calls and problems being the only white guy in the group, and they talk about us! lol
spiritual jazz music....... so important for the world today. Better then every therapy
Bin eigentlich kein grosser Jazz Kenner, doch berührt mich das Klavierspiel von Bill Evans tief im Herzen. Eine empfindsame, grosse Seele. Er hat auch seinen Mitmusikern enorme Möglichkeiten
geschenkt sich in seine Welt einzufühlen und damit über sich selbst hinauszuwachsen.
Für mich einmalig und großartig...
miraculous, thanks a million for sharing.
Bill Evans歌ってますね。さすがの演奏。
すげー。こんな映像があるんだあ。生きてるビルエヴァンス、初めて見た。
Awesome. There is such a picture. Bill Evans alive, I saw it for the first time.
Bill evans was my mommy and lived with me for some time what a beautiful time it was back then
Mmkay
The GOAT. Despite his personal issues, nobody has played like Bill Evans.
A GOAT is an animal. Stop it with the stupid abbreviations.
There are times all one can do is listen and love . When the great do great it’s magic.
I was able to meet and greet with Bill Evans back in the day. I was excited but he was not all that excited to hear about my beginner-intermediate piano playing stuff. However he did say to me the following: "Don't worry so much and just go with it."
Genius on display shinning a torch for aspiring jazz pianists the world over. Loved the David Bruce comment below: "I knew him a little bit" .How modest ! Many of us would have cleaned his shoes for nothing just to be in reach of the hem of his jacket!
too beautiful for words...
Never heard any great jazz musician talking about the tunning of the piano on any Bill Evans record. This is music, art, not a piece of machinery.
I adore Bill's genius!!!! Thank you for mounting this!
how fortunate you were to know him. i envy that he passed through your life. thankfully, he left music for all of us.
I can never hear enough of Bill Evans such a sad loss, just wonderful. Thank you so much for this.
something about his style makes me yearn for a horn section. Having said that his music grows on me. Played a little jaunty tune around 29:00 that had got my attention. Good upload!
This is wonderful music to work by. Thanks so much to all who played in this Bill Evans recording.
This may be the most complete video of Bill's final trio. It's 1979 date--in Iowa, I believe. But Bill would evolve much more and in short order. His last complete performance is his stand the week before his death (9/15/80) in Frisco 2 sets of 8-disc CDs--"Consecration" and "The Last Waltz"--representing his entire 8-night stand. The evenness of both hands--the density of the chords--none of Bill's alleged proteges comes close. The piano sings as though from his emotive center.
just amazing. i can watch this all day. the sound is soo pure. one of the most influential jazz pianists in my personal opinion.
Merveilleux et limpide comme toujours avec Bill Evans.
Arguably the most emulated jazz pianist of all time. And that's probably because he made everything he played look and sound so easy...
Infidel 14? Bill Evans was a virtuoso, therefore, he made what was hard look easy.
for me, he made everything he played sound heartfelt...
un poeta indimenticabile, sempre vero, sempre autentico. Il più grande di tutti per la sua struggente liricità.
It always amazed me how gentle he was with the keyboards. He literally coaxed the sound out...can't think of another jazz pianist who caressed the keys the way he did......almost like a person with a lower modulated voice who somehow gets people to listen even when they aren't the loudest voice in the room....
Gentle looks to be the quality he presents in his playing. He played with Miles Davis and set the tone with this style, never in competition. Although I recognize his ability, I like blues flavored piano players whose improvisations tell a story. Evans traditional and lyrical style likely appeals more to the introspective listeners.
I tend to agree with you.....
I would add Teddy Wilson, Ahmad Jamal and Dave McKenna to that list of gentle giants.
I caught Bill Evans at a Jam-packed Hollywood Bowl summer evening concert not long before Bill passed, I was seated at the top of the Bowl in the tree section & you could hear a pin drop as We were all So into every note played & the 'Acoustics were exceptional for this mammoth outdoor Cahuenga Canyon Hollywood Bowl Theatre
BILL EVANS, A TOUJOURS DANS SON D N A, UN IMMENSE TALENT D'ABSTRACTION MÉLODIQUE, HARMONIQUE, QUI NOS FASCINE ET FASCINERA, TOUJOURS...!!! SON LYRISME EST TELLEMENT CONCRET ET ABSTRACT, QUI SURGIT DANS L'HORIZON, QUELQUE CHOSE D'ÉTRANGE, QUE INQUÈTE NOTRE ESPRIT...!!! Directement de Salvador - Bahia - BRASIL.