An Album of Ballads! Dedicated to Bassist Scott LaFaro, This Album is Beautiful, Melodic & Haunting! Never Before Has Evans Sounded So Assertive!
Bill Evans is a musician you never tire of listening to. He has the ability to play a tune freshly, every time. This recording is his finest. The first date after the untimely death of Scott LaFaro, this album is beautiful, melodic and haunting. Every tune is played with typical Evans genius, but on this session he seems to be expressing his musical ideas with even more flavor and emotion.
The first cut is the most expressive and emotive ever heard in this trio setting, dedicated to LaFaro. Evans expresses his passion, joy and grief for his young bassist in every note and the result is stunning. Chuck Israels' bass lines are exquisite and the chords Evans plays quietly over the bass solo are beautiful and ephemeral. Every tune on this LP is wonderful, the playing of everyone is at such a high level of creativity that this music will live on forever.
"Bassist Chuck Israels from Cecil Taylor and Bud Powell's bands took his place in the band with Evans and drummer Paul Motian and Evans recorded the only possible response to the loss of LaFaro -- an album of ballads. The irony on this recording is that, despite material that was so natural for Evans to play, particularly with his trademark impressionistic sound collage style, is that other than as a sideman almost ten years before, he has never been more assertive than on Moonbeams. It is as if, with the death of LaFaro, Evans' safety net was gone and he had to lead the trio alone. And he does first and foremost by abandoning the impressionism in favor of a more rhythmic and muscular approach to harmony." - Thom Jurek, allmusic.com
Features:
Vinyl LP
Musicians:
Bill Evans, piano
Chuck Israels, bass
Paul Motian, drums
Selections:
Side 1:
1. Person I Knew
2. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
4. Stairway To The Stars
Side 2:
1. If You Could See Me Now
2. It Might As Well Be Spring
3. In Love In Vain
4. Very Early
Bill Evans is a musician you never tire of listening to. He has the ability to play a tune freshly, every time. This recording is his finest. The first date after the untimely death of Scott LaFaro, this album is beautiful, melodic and haunting. Every tune is played with typical Evans genius, but on this session he seems to be expressing his musical ideas with even more flavor and emotion.
The first cut is the most expressive and emotive ever heard in this trio setting, dedicated to LaFaro. Evans expresses his passion, joy and grief for his young bassist in every note and the result is stunning. Chuck Israels' bass lines are exquisite and the chords Evans plays quietly over the bass solo are beautiful and ephemeral. Every tune on this LP is wonderful, the playing of everyone is at such a high level of creativity that this music will live on forever.
"Bassist Chuck Israels from Cecil Taylor and Bud Powell's bands took his place in the band with Evans and drummer Paul Motian and Evans recorded the only possible response to the loss of LaFaro -- an album of ballads. The irony on this recording is that, despite material that was so natural for Evans to play, particularly with his trademark impressionistic sound collage style, is that other than as a sideman almost ten years before, he has never been more assertive than on Moonbeams. It is as if, with the death of LaFaro, Evans' safety net was gone and he had to lead the trio alone. And he does first and foremost by abandoning the impressionism in favor of a more rhythmic and muscular approach to harmony." - Thom Jurek, allmusic.com
Features:
Vinyl LP
Musicians:
Bill Evans, piano
Chuck Israels, bass
Paul Motian, drums
Selections:
Side 1:
1. Person I Knew
2. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
4. Stairway To The Stars
Side 2:
1. If You Could See Me Now
2. It Might As Well Be Spring
3. In Love In Vain
4. Very Early
