Portrait in Jazz

Occupation

• Piano: Bill Evans
• Bass: Scott LaFaro
• Paul Motian drums

Portrait in Jazz is a jazz album by Bill Evans, which was recorded in New York City on December 28, 1959, and was published in 1960 by Riverside Records.

The album

The album Portrait in Jazz was the third album by the pianist in his own name and his first with his legendary trio of bassist Scott Lafaro and drummer Paul Motian after the debut of New Jazz Conceptions (1956 ), the inventor Motian participated, and Everybody Digs Bill Evans, he had a year earlier recorded for Riverside Records. It was half a year after the recordings for Miles Davis ' album Kind of Blue, in which Bill Evans was a key figure. The Evans biographer wrote this: "After this album it was for Evans always mandatory that did not have to be the ideal candidate a larger formation with horns, but the piano trio for his musical future - creativity, as he understood it, could be better there realize. And so began in mid- 1959, the search for the right bass and drums partner. " After experimenting with Jimmy Garrison and Kenny Davis in the New York jazz club Basin Street East discovered Evans in a neighboring club the young Scott LaFaro, who previously worked with Chet Baker had and was made ​​famous by recordings with Buddy DeFranco, Stan Getz and Marty Paich. After exposure to the Basin Street East Evans joined with LaFaro in a jazz club called the Showplace; it was the perfect trio, as finally was added the drummer Paul Motian for Evans. The Evans biographer Hanns E. Petrik cited Evans ' views on Scott LaFaro: " His virtuosity stunned me - put it much music in him; he only had problems to get them under control. I helped him to maintain his enthusiasm. It was a wonderful thing and all worth the effort, which we started to overcome your ego and work for a common cause. "

In October 1959, the trio went into the studio together for the first time - they accompanied Tony Scott on his album Sung Heroes; then the recordings for Portrait in Jazz written in December. This album " was the beginning of a development that will - over the next studio album Explorations in February 1961 -. Resulted in the recordings, the end of June 1961 should be the highlight for the trio ," namely their appearance in the New York jazz club the Village Vanguard, published on the albums Waltz for Debby and Sunday at the Village Vanguard.

For his album Evans chose a repertoire on the one created in popular jazz standards like Cole Porter's " What Is This Thing Called Love? ", Johnny Mercer's " Come Rain or Come Shine " and "Autumn Leaves", the Disney hit " Someday My Prince Will Come " or the title" When I Fall in Love " from. Added to this was his composition " Blue in Green ", which Evans had a few months previously recorded with Davis on the Kind of Blue album at Davis. For the first time Evans played the composition " Peri 's Scope " field.

Album Review

At that time, Don DeMichael wrote in Down Beat: " Evans has the ability to often-heard standard pieces to transform into musical treasures. The listener begins to wonder whether these are really the same pieces, which he had in the ear over the years again and again. One gets the impression that this man speaks through his instrument and wants to give the listener something personal. " Brian Priestley Also, it raises the Jazz Rough Guide emerge from the peripheral Evans Discography and mentioned the brilliant ensemble playing "Autumn Leaves" and his version of " Blue in Green ", that can stand comparison with the Miles Davis version. Thom Jurek called the All Music Guide, Portrait in Jazz " a gem " and gave it the highest rating. The first of two studio albums by Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian contains moments fantastic interplay, particularly between pianist Evans and bassist LaFaro, as on the two versions of "Autumn Leaves". Although the album - except " Peri's Scope" and " Blue in Green " - contains only those standards, it is far from routine to offer. LaFaro and Motian acted in titles such as " Come Rain or Come Shine ," " When I Fall in Love" and " Someday My Prince Will Come " as equal partners; their game is rich in subtle and surprising creativity. Richard Cook and Brian Morton also gave the album in the Penguin Guide to Jazz the highest rating, highlighting the enormous sensitivity of Scott LaFaro forth. The Evans biographer Hanns E. Petrik wrote: " Evans presented itself as a creative and powerful pianist (...) the amazing interplay of the musicians surprised many listeners of the plate; the trio served standard pieces in so refined and concise manner, the experts are convinced that even today, more could you hardly play ( best if different ) - about the versions of " Someday My Prince Will Come " or " What Is This Thing Called Love "and the ballad " Spring Is Here "and" Blue in Green ". He quotes the American music critic Don Heckman: "I know of no other musician who - in such close touch with his instrument - so perfectly capable of expressing how Evans. Is particularly impressive be great timing. He meets with an unmistakable sense of the moment in which each sound must fall and placed him so skillfully that it achieves the maximum rhythmic effect; his solo in " Someday My Prince Will Come " is simply masterful. "

The title

• Bill Evans: Portrait in Jazz ( Riverside RLP 12-315 )

" Autumn Leaves " take 1 was mixed rather than take 9 on the U.S. stereo issue of Portrait in Jazz ( Riverside RLP 1162, 1960). Both versions of "Autumn Leaves" and appeared as another title " Blue In Green " take 2 mid-1980s on the Fantasy / OJC CD ( OJCCD 088-2 ). To this was added to the Portrait in Jazz - Keepnews Collection ( Riverside RCD 30678 ) added two more alternate takes, " Come Rain Or Come Shine " take 4, and " Blue In Green " take 1

Swell

• Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather & Brian Priestley: Rough Guide to Jazz. Metzler, Stuttgart 2004 ( 2nd edition); ISBN 978-3-476-01892-2
• Hanns E. Petrik Bill Evans: His life, his music, his records. Oreos, Waakirchen (1989); ISBN 3-923657-23-4
• Richard Cook, Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. 8th Edition, Penguin, London, 2006. ISBN 0-14-102327-9