Personnel Bill
Evans – Solo Piano
|
1
|
Here’s
That Rainy Day
|
7
|
Track
1 – Alternative Take
|
|
2
|
A Time
for Love
|
8
|
Track
2 – Alternative Take
|
|
3
|
Midnight
Mood
|
9
|
Track
3 – Alternative Take
|
|
4
|
On A Clear
Day (You
Can See Forever)
|
10
|
Track
4 – Alternative Take
|
|
5
|
Never
Let Me Go
|
11
|
Track
5 – Alternative Take
|
|
6
|
The Two
Lonely People (aka
The Man & The Woman)
|
12
|
Medley
– All the Things You Are/ Midnight Mood
|
This
is a re-issue of Bill Evan’s first solo album recorded in 1968 and
contains seven bonus tracks, six being alternative takes, from the
‘Alone’ sessions – they were recently discovered and not previously
issued. Here we have Evans at his best.
In
the early 1950s Evans’ was beginning to be recognised as a pianist
with great potential and in 1958 he joined Miles Davis. This was a
period when Davis also employed John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley
and his music was being diverted towards modal improvisation. By then
Evans was regarded as an inspired and self-searching musician whose
cleverly constituted solos, augmented by masterful harmony, exposed
his extensive talent. Although he was only with Miles a very short
time it proved to be a vital component in his development.
His
next venture was trio work with bassist Scott La Faro and drummer
Paul Motian and this together with duo work was the general format
of his music until his death in 1980. However, it was inevitable he
would make solo recordings and the ‘Alone’ sessions were the result.
It would be wrong to say that they were made at the height of his
career because his playing hardly ever varied in its high quality.
‘Alone’
is far from ‘easy listening’ – throughout it commands attention. Some
fans steer clear of recordings that contain so many retakes and often
that is justified but in this case the extra tracks provide evidence
of his fresh approach to the repeated performance of a piece. His
playing is distinctive but in the composition and length of some of
his phrasing there is more than a hint of Lennie Tristano. On a general
theme his qualities of performance vary between massive strength coupled
with deep harmony to sensitive and delicate melodic lines. ‘Alone
‘ is one of those recordings that warrants listening to repeatedly
– each time something new is revealed.
Jack Ashby
CD Reviews
Verve 589
319 – 2 
