The Oslo Concerts

Bill Evans

Overview

Universally heralded as the most influential jazz pianist of the 20th century, Bill Evans introduced a unique, laid-back, introverted, and classically-influenced approach to the art that pulled heavily from Debussy and Ravel. In the process, Evans garnered an unholy number of fans, imitators, and musical protégés, and his music continues to undergo extensive interpretation and reinterpretation as the decades pass, given the unusually strong emphasis placed by Evans on technique and harmonization as the basis of all improvisatory work. The title of the 70 minute home video release The Bill Evans Trio: The Oslo Concerts is deceptive; it actually features two separate trios headlined by Evans, in two concerts held fourteen years apart. In the first, filmed in 1966, Evans teams with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Alex Riel on an Oslo stage. In the second, Evans performs with the fellow members of his final trio - bassist Mark Johnson and drummer Joe La Barbera - in Oslo, Norway, just prior to Evans's 1980 death from a hemorrhaging ulcer and bronchial pneumonia. Selections include: "Stella by Starlight," "The Days of Wine and Roses," "Autumn Leaves," and "Nardis." This represents one of the very few filmed Evans concerts available to the public.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/16/2007
UPC:	0016351633095
Original Release:	2007
Rating:	NR
Source:	Shanachie
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:10:00
Sales rank:	31,484

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bill Evans	Primary Artist
Bill Evans Trio	Primary Artist
Marc Johnson	Bass
Eddie Gomez	Bass
Joe La Barbera	Drums
Alex Riel	Drums

Technical Credits

Chuck Stewart

Cover Photo,Photography

Editorial Reviews

Although separated by 14 years and featuring different bass and drum teams, these two Scandinavian performances are unified by the brilliant playing of pianist Bill Evans. The earlier set (1966) features the innovative keyboardist with his then-new bassist, the virtuosic Eddie Gomez, and the Danish drummer Alex Riel, with whom Evans never officially recorded. The stunning interaction between Evans and Gomez is evidence of their near-telepathic communication; Reil, for his part, fits in perfectly, displaying open-eared alertness and subtle force. The 1980 concert finds Evans -- who died later that year -- with his final trio mates: bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera. Evans, energized by his young, eager, and immensely talented cohorts, digs deep into his theme statements and improvisations. A major contribution to Evans’s musical legacy, The Oslo Concerts offer a welcome return of a much-missed giant of jazz.