Although generally held in high regard by most, Evans has had his detractors even when he was considered the “it guy.” And recently, let’s say in the last 10-15 years, I’m finding less support for his contributions generally, more bashing on the latest jazz water cooler, jazz message boards, and (for some reason) belittling from certain geographies.
There was also the cause célèbre from pianist, Brad Mehldau who on a few occasions, in liner notes and in a double interview with Pat Metheny, basically said that Bill Evans was “not that great a pianist.”**(see below update 11/13/14) I attributed some of his prior commentary against Evans as a result of irritation from the constant critical comparison (in this interview and before) which I agree is basically unfounded. His strongest stylistic influence to my ears is Keith Jarrett, although he also denies Jarrett’s trio influence, which he has stated as “not caring for.” Some have termed this condition the anxiety of influence. In a way I can understand it. It’s kind of like saying, “Can you stop pigeon-holing whom you think I sound like and just listen to what I’m doing?”
Still, as a person whom I respect in terms of his achievements in establishing an identity in jazz, with considerable intellectual gifts and jazz history knowledge, I find Mehldau’s statements both puzzling and a little irritating. The fact is that Evans changed the whole paradigm for jazz piano, the lexicon or whatever fancy names you’d like to call it. If Evans wasn’t there, there’s no inspiration for Hancock, Corea or Jarrett to build on that model and consequently Meldhau. He is clearly building on that moody jazz piano house and language that Evans started more or less single-handedly and helped perfect, whether he feels that or not. He’s a branch or sub-branch of that claiming no relation to the root. 
Clearly Miles Davis knew how great he was, and is quoted as such. Hancock and Corea certainly didn’t think that Evans was “not that great a pianist.” They knew better and their influence is far greater than Mehldau’s.
Suppose Evans didn’t exist and all there was was Peterson, Jamal, Silver and Kelly? They are all great but Evans is a huge hole to fill in terms of the progression of jazz piano and jazz music generally towards modernity. Who would play the music he played between 1959-1962: Nardis? Blue in Green? Re: Person I Knew? Who was playing jazz waltzes the way and frequency Evans was playing them? Who was playing with such freedom and authority – mixing 3/4 and 4/4 meters before anyone else was doing it? Who had so much personality in both his lines and chords that after just a few notes you could immediately identify him? And I’m sure Meldhau knows this but it seems like a fruitless argument to argue what is self-evident.
And you don’t have to love, transcribe or even embrace the majority of artist’s work to acknowledge their influence. Prime example, Brad Meldhau. I’m not a huge fan of his playing personally, but I acknowledge his influence on players and style because I can hear it, for example in players such as Robert Glasper, Aaron Parks and others. And he’s raised the bar technically for every pianist that has come after him. Influence is the key objective yardstick.
Maybe by the same token, there may be some too quick to cite Bill Evans as the “king of jazz piano” and ignore his more overtly swinging counterparts, Red Garland, Wynton Kelly and Oscar Peterson. I think much of this stems from the dedication exclusively to art of the jazz piano trio. There were frankly not so many models for the piano trio post Nat King Cole and Bud Powell. When Evans came to forefront, the other models were Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal, primarily. This is the yin side to Evans yang. So Evans more coloristic and contrasting approach stood in particular stark relief. This is something jazz critics and buffs frustratingly ignore, the context of artistic achievements at the time they happened. In other words, how did Evans even think of playing the way he did given the available models at the time? That artistic achievement is stunning.
Let’s get back to the original question of the Evans contribution. Firstly, I love Bill Evans, that’s obvious. Some of this is a generational thing. He was situated perfectly in terms of my age and my appraisal of the jazz continuum at the time. I grew up listening to him in my house in addition to my father, brother, Stan, Brookmeyer and all my father’s classical records. When I was a kid, Evans was the most popular pianist, generally speaking. In subsequent years, Hancock, Tyner, Corea and Jarrett took the top honors and then everyone else since then. Yet inevitably I keep coming back to Evans. And I have to ask myself. Why is that? Is it a generational thing? or something else?
To describe Evans as a poet, although apt, feels a little trite. What Evans had was a complete understanding of his melodic language and a complete dedication to every note and phrase he lays out there in musical space. He always reconciles what he plays. This is the onus of compositional integrity. He rarely plays things for frivolous reasons. There was also that artistic balance in his playing so that he didn’t go in endless tangents and micro-studies in barrages of notes. This is because he had a sense of larger structure and eschewed ideas that didn’t meet with the criteria of that bigger picture as it unfolded. He had maturity and melodicism.
He also had a sense of humility and modesty about his achievements. These qualities are what I find lacking in many pianists and in Meldhau truth be told. This is not to say, I love every note Evans has ever played or I don’t find faults. Everyone knows that he rushes and this trait grew worse later as well as his tendency towards the hyper-romantic. The fact is, I could find fault with many artists that I listen to and admire, including Evans. Really the question is which artist consistently has records that are head and shoulders above the rest and stand up to repeated listens. And who was specifically devoted to the piano trio and its particular niche and requirements? To my ears, before Keith Jarrett revived the jazz piano standards trio based on the Evans mold in the early 80s no one else was really doing it consistently. And everyone else followed after this.
In my next post I will get into the specifics of what makes Evans great and also address some of the specific criticisms against him.
Go to follow-up Evans articles:
**(Update 11/13/14) Given this article seems to have been picked up in other places, I decided to re-investigate what exactly was said in that Metheny/Mehldau interview. Indeed I did find – technically – that I put some words in Mehldau’s mouth. However the spirit of what he said (and perhaps what he was going to say but didn’t) was definitely akin to my statement – not that great a pianist. The tone is almost mocking and belittling. You can read behind the lines, “I don’t know why people think he’s that great” essentially. This is the exact quote:
Interviewer: Why do you hate that comparison, just because you don’t think its accurate or acute?
Meldhau: Well yeah, it’s just a fiction and no matter how many times I say no I barely listened to this guy, it’s stated as a matter of fact that he’s my main influence, and furthermore that I’m inheriting this throne or whatever… I don’t really quite understand why he’s put on a pedestal really because to me he’s one guy … I don’t even really – if I can be controversial here – I’m not even really crazy about his playing – and you know listen I’ve got a few Bill Evans records (mocking laugh) …
Studio360 Interview (about 10:30 where that segment starts) I also didn’t care for Metheny stoking that comparison issue either. He did however say that Undercurrents was a big album for him (before the stupid snappy comeback interruption by interviewer) but he was happy to say that Brad had never even heard that record. He really did have the opportunity to say you know that record was a great record and maybe give Mehldau some food for thought. He didn’t.
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14 Comments
Charles
Not being the hard core Jazz enthusiast I have always known Evans as the piano player for Miles. I understand that he is more than that. I guess I thought he was always revered and surprised that he has his healthy set of critics. I guess everybody does.
Jon Raney
Well I guess that’s generally true yes. Aside from this is my belief that certain people just don’t get what makes him not “just another jazz piano player”. There are very specific things that make him way beyond others. And I intend to (hopefully) follow up with real specifics and sound files to back up my reasoning as more than just “personal taste”. I’ve thought about this alot.
I have the same issues with people who put certain other jazz guitarists as my father’s equal or better. This may seem arrogant but my take on that is they are not using the same set of ears.
Steve
Great post as usual Jon!
I also completely freaked out when I heard the Mehldau interview, and generally interpreted it as a kind of arrogance that players like BM and PM exhibit periodically.
Down Beast and they seem to be telling us that only their version of jazz matters, and anything else is on a much lower level artistically.
They seem to think that they can rewrite jazz history, because their PR machine is churning out that they are the most important jazz musicians playing today.
Living in NYC, we’ve seen this taking place on an almost surrealistic level with WM and JALC.
Thank God there are blogs like this that present another view!
Jon Raney
What bothered me was Metheny’s caving on that. I know for a fact that he doesn’t feel what Brad feels about Bill(or perhaps defensively expressed). The political aspect of jazz is a problem and has been for some time. But it is similar to any type of politics that way, it’s heavily influenced by self-interest by whomever seeks dominion.
Steve
Yes, that’s the vibe I got from PM, also.
As you say, it’s a fight for dominion, and I can’t even imagine the dues your Dad paid back in the 60s and 70s…
I think it can be summed up by reading the liner notes of “Live in Tokyo”, and witnessing the rhythm section’s “discovery” of the fact that Jimmy Raney continued the legacy of Bird- IN 1976!!!!!!!
John Albin
Coming to the party a little bit late here … As far as the Bill bashing goes, I think it’s probably a mistake to take what goes on on internet forums as representative of an overall trend in opinion. I don’t think there’s any danger of Bill Evans being knocked out of the pantheon when it comes to people who really listen to music and talk about it for the sake of hearing and understanding it (as opposed to people who mouth off on the net for the sake of mouthing off).
I do have a slight quibble with what you’re saying about the disappearance of the piano trio and its subsequent revival, though. I think innovative piano trios were alive and well pretty much continuously, just not necessarily on recordings or on the marquis of the major festivals and venues. From the late 70s on, I spent countless nights, especially at Bradley’s, listening to trios led by people like Kenny Barron, Tommy Flanagan, Kirk Lightsey, Renee Rosnes, et. all. Now that I think of it, the demise of Bradley’s itself may be single greatest blow to the on-going evolution of jazz piano.
Jon Raney
I hear you. I went to hear the same guys and enjoyed them very much at Bradleys. I just don’t consider them innovative trios – in the strictest sense. Just really great playing. I know that sounds elitist. My treatise here was intended to be in several parts what makes Bill Evans conception beyond others in spite of some of his Achilles heals (there are a couple)
Alex Depatie
Hi Jon, I am absolutely dying to know where you go that last photo of Evans. With his arms over his head and his eyes closed. That would be such an awesome print.
Rolf W
Bill Evans was not only one of the gretest pianist ever, he was a composer and created an unique music new to the world!He should be recognized a place among great composer like Bethoven Bach and Chopin.He was a great poet of music and his contribution to the music was immense!
Martyn Howard
Ridiculous comment re piano trios “noone else was really doing it consistently”. Come on Jon, Oscar Peterson’s trios have still not been matched for mesmerising brilliance! Still the best by far.
Jon Raney
You are cherry picking Martyn. I clearly mentioned Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal as practitioners of the piano trio art in contradistinction to Evans model in this blog.
Your preference for Oscar is your business. Best is relative term.
Rolf W
Bill Evans created a new music to the world he was one of the great genious in the music world!
0xnull
I admire and enjoy music from both BE and OP. Unfortunately, BE succumbed to drugs and it showed in his somewhat uninspired playing of later years. OP did not take drugs, but his style, from about the mid-70s on, seemed to have lost the earlier soul of the 50s and 60s, in favor of repetitive virtuosity for virtuosity’s sake.
I do love some of his later playing, such as the Live in Russia double album, but it grows tiresome. With respect to OP, I must also add that even Tatum’s “flying orchestra” style grows tiresome after an hour or so.
Regardless, I will never be able to play like any of them, and they were all wonderful musicians who brought timeless performances and compositions to the world of jazz.
Some favorites:
Tatum: complete “Masterpieces” album with Benny Carter and Louis Bellson.
OP: Night Train album, Live at Concertgebow album.
BE: Everybody Digs Bill Evans album. Blue and Green with Miles Davis
Here endeth the sermon.
ps: I once met OP in our family living room, about 1962, Fort Wayne, IN. when he had been playing at a local supper club and came to the house on a weekend day to hang out. My folks used to get Christmas cards from him and would sometimes “hang out” with him in D.C. and NYC.
jazzmankg
Not sure why but previous comment (via disqus) by oxnull just won’t appear. Tried everything. in its entirety:
Oxnull:
I admire and enjoy music from both BE and OP. Unfortunately, BE
succumbed to drugs and it showed in his somewhat uninspired playing of
later years. OP did not take drugs, but his style, from about the
mid-70s on, seemed to have lost the earlier soul of the 50s and 60s, in
favor of repetitive virtuosity for virtuosity’s sake.
I do love some of his later playing, such as the Live in Russia
double album, but it grows tiresome. With respect to OP, I must also
add that even Tatum’s “flying orchestra” style grows tiresome after an
hour or so.
Regardless, I will never be able to play like any of them, and they
were all wonderful musicians who brought timeless performances and
compositions to the world of jazz.
Some favorites:
Tatum: complete “Masterpieces” album with Benny Carter and Louis Bellson.
OP: Night Train album, Live at Concertgebow album.
BE: Everybody Digs Bill Evans album. Blue and Green with Miles Davis
Here endeth the sermon.
ps: I once met OP in our family living room, about 1962, Fort Wayne,
IN. when he had been playing at a local supper club and came to the
house on a weekend day to hang out. My folks used to get Christmas
cards from him and would sometimes “hang out” with him in D.C. and NYC.