Bill Evans - At The Montreux Jazz Festival (2LPs, 45 RPM, 180g)
Piano – Bill Evans [click here to see more vinyl featuring Bill Evans]
Drums – Jack DeJohnette [click here to see more vinyl featuring Jack DeJohnette]
Bass – Eddie Gomez
2 LPs, Old-style tip-on gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 45RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Live
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : Verve
Recorded June 15, 1968, at the Casino de Montreux, Switzerland by the technical department of Radio Suisse Romande
Produced by Helen Keane
Remixed by Bob Schwarz
Engineered by Jean-Claude Martin, Pierre Grandjean
Mastered by Bernie Grundman from The Original Analog Tapes
Originally released in 1962
Reissued in 2019
Tracks:
Side A:
- One For Helen
- A Sleepin' Bee
- Mother Of Earl
- Nardis
Side B:
- I Loves You Porgy
- The Touch Of Your Lips
- Embraceable You
- Someday My Prince Will Come
- Walkin' Up
Winner of the 1969 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Reviews :
“Bill Evans' 1968 release, At the Montreux Jazz Festival, marks the beginning of stylistic changes for the legendary pianist. Only one year earlier, his At Town Hall release found his approach generally more introspective and brooding. In contrast, this set is more lively, playful, and experimental. Much of this is down to the active and intense drumming of Jack DeJohnette, who had joined the trio only a short time before this concert was recorded; longtime bandmate Eddie Gomez is also featured on this album. His energetic soloing adds veracity to tunes such as "Embraceable You" and "A Sleeping Bee." DeJohnette, too, is given several opportunities to display his drumming skills. His lengthy solo on "Nardis" displays his technical prowess and four-way coordination; such acumen would later cause jazz fans and critics alike to hail DeJohnette as one of the world's premier jazz drummers. Evans, famous for a soft-spoken pianistic touch, seems driven to new vistas on this album. He experiments more with harmonic dissonance and striking rhythmical contrasts, making this his most extroverted playing since his freshman release, New Jazz Conceptions.” AllMusic Review by Rovi Staff
As others have noted, this album occupies a unique place in the Bill Evans discography. It's the only album to document drummer Jack deJohnette's too-short stay in the trio. The trio's performance on this album won them the 1969 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.
By the time this set was recorded, live in Montreux on June 15, 1968, Eddie Gomez and Evans had been playing together for two years. Gomez provided a different brand of virtuosity to that offered by Scott LaFaro in Evans's classic trio of five years earlier but he was clearly the best bass player Evans had worked with since LaFaro's tragic death. The groove between the two was deep and comfortable, so comfortable that in this set, Evans did something he hadn't done before, at least on a recording: he showcased Gomez for an entire piece, the almost 7-minute-long "Embraceable You."
As the liner notes by Gene Lees reveal, Evan's performance at the renowned jazz festival in the nightclub of the Montreux Casino, one of the most fashionable resorts in Switzerland, was one of his best. He and Gomez played with more exuberance, more happiness and more drive. Evans' brooding, introspective musical side has been represented well on records before; the bright side has been too-little heard, but it's here in this album.
At the end of each number the audience exploded in applause so stormy and extended that it had to be heavily edited for the album.
Enjoy this sparkling Bill Evans piano performance, made sweeter by the expert mastering by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tape. For this edition only the best vinyl pressing would do — a 200-gram super-silent luxurious-sounding platter from Quality Record Pressings, makers of the world's finest-sounding LPs. First-rate and top-notch, this album will make a superb addition to your record collection.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4 / 5 , Discogs : 4.63 / 5