Profile of Bill Evans on Famous Like Me

William John Evans
Bill Evans
Born	August 16, 1929 Plainfield, New Jersey, USA
Died	September 15, 1980 New York, New York, USA

Bill Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous jazz pianists of the 20th century, and along with McCoy Tyner and Oscar Peterson was the force behind the biggest shift in the jazz paradigm since Art Tatum and Bud Powell. His use of impressionistic harmony, his inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire and his syncopated and polyrhythmic melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, Denny Zeitlin, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, and his work continues to inspire younger pianists such as Fred Hersch, Bill Charlap, Lyle Mays and Brad Mehldau, as well as other musicians such as guitarist John McLaughlin.

1950s

Working in New York in the 1950s, Evans gained notoriety as a sideman in traditional and so-called third stream avant-garde jazz bands. During this period, he recorded with the composer George Russell and released New Jazz Conceptions, his first album as a leader. In 1958, Evans joined the Miles Davis Sextet and recorded and toured briefly with the band. His desire to pursue his own projects as a leader, problems with drug use, and conflicts with other band members, led him to leave the band. At the request of Davis, Evans returned to the band to record the jazz classic, Kind of Blue.

1960s

In the early 1960s, Evans led a trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. This group has since become one of the most acclaimed piano trios of all time. With this group, Evans's focus settled on traditional jazz standards and original compositions, with an added emphasis on interplay among the band members that often bordered on collective improvisation. The collaboration between Evans and the talented young bassist LaFaro was particularly fruitful, with the two achieving an unprecedented level of musical empathy. The trio recorded four albums: Portrait in Jazz, Explorations, Waltz for Debby, and Sunday at the Village Vanguard. LaFaro's untimely death at age twenty-five in a car accident in 1961 left Evans devastated, and he did not record or perform in public again for several months. In 1963, he recorded "Conversations With Myself", overdubbing his piano three times, which won him his first Grammy award.

Bassist Chuck Israels succeeded LaFaro in the trio, but it was not until 1966, when Evans discovered 21-year-old bassist Eddie Gomez, that he found a worthy contributor to his original trio concept. Gomez's exuberance was contagious, revitalizing and inspiring Evans to new heights.

1970s

In 1969, Marty Morell joined the trio on drums and remained until 1975, when he retired to family life. The extraordinary sensitivity of this trio is best represented by the live recordings, Jazzhouse, You're Gonna Hear From Me, Montreux II, Live in Paris, 1972, The Tokyo Concert, Since We Met, and the final Blue in Green recorded in Canada in 1974.

Morell was replaced by Elliot Zigmund on drums in 1976. The resulting group recorded three albums, Crosscurrents, I Will Say Goodbye and You Must Believe in Spring. The latter record highlighted Evans's obsession with self-destruction, including pieces dedicated to his first wife, Ellaine, and brother, Harry, both of whom by that time had committed suicide. Fittingly, the last track on the album is the theme from the movie and television show MASH, "Suicide is Painless". You Must Believe in Spring was released posthumously after Evans's death.

Gomez and Zigmund left Evans in 1978, and after several rhythym sections, Evans settled on Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. This band was to be Evans's last. The group recorded several records, including the multi-disc set Turn Out The Stars. Evans's music of this period was much less introspective and more driving than his previous work with Gomez and Zigmund, in part reflecting his turning to the drug cocaine to overcome his addiction to heroin.

Substance abuse

Evans's substance abuse problems likely began during his stint with Miles Davis in the late 1950s. A heroin addict for most of his career, his health was generally poor and his financial situation worse. In the 1970s, cocaine became a serious problem for Evans. His body finally gave out in 1980, when Evans died in New York City.

Historical impact

Although the circumstances of his life were often tragic, Evans's music always displayed his creative mastery of harmony, rhythm, and interpretive jazz conception. A brilliant classical pianist as well, Evans's work fused jazz repertoire and ensemble performance with a classical sense of form and conceptual scale. His recordings continue to impact the work of pianists, guitarists, composers, and interpreters of jazz music around the world.

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