Bill on Tony - "I just hear music."

 "He's a late “arriver" - somebody who digs away and develops and develops and develops and then they bust through.

Tony Bennett is somebody I appreciate that way. I couldn't understand his thing, really, when I was young. I thought his vibrato was bad, his voice was thin, and yet Tony is the kind of person who loves and respects music on a very deep spiritual level. He just has gotten more inside himself, and more inside his art all the time, until finally he has the ability to transport the listener that's unmatched. I think it's a great art, in that type of singing, to take a straight song and sing it relatively straight and somehow put more meaning into it and be able to grab the listener and transport them. When I listen to Tony I don't hear words, I don't hear a vocalist - I just hear music. That's why I really love his singing. I find it is a much harder journey for the later “arrivers" but what they have at the end of it is something much richer."

- Bill Evans as told to Ted O'Reilly, July, 1980

A Gerry Mulligan Reader: Writings on a Jazz Original

This anthology contains the many articles, interviews and commentaries I gathered over the years - some of which are very rare - for a planned formal biography of Gerry Mulligan [1927-1996].

But when I realized that I lacked the necessary background in theory and harmony to do justice to the special qualities that made Gerry's music so distinctive, I decided to publish the research instead.

It's all here - 52 chapters and 390 pages - that cover the 50 year career of one of the most original musicians in the history of Jazz.

Available as a paperback and an eBook exclusively through Amazon.com.

 

A Bill Evans Reader - Paperback and eBook

Now that a publishing glitch has been resolved, this anthology is one again available through Amazon. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction: p. 4

Prologue: BILL EVANS - A PERSON I KNEW by Brian Hennessey, Jazz Journal International, March/October 1985), pp.7-18.

Chapter 1. Bill Evans: The Complete Riverside Recordings by Orrin Keepnews, pp. 19-35.

Chapter 2 Homage to Bill Evans in The Complete Riverside Recordings by Martin Williams, pp. 36-46. 

Chapter 3. Inside the New Bill Evans Trio with Gene Lees, pp. 47-52.

Chapter 4. Time Remembered: A 1965 Interview with Jean-Louis Ginibre, pp 53-60.

Chapter 5. New Conceptions: When George Russell Met Bill Evans - Peter Pettinger, pp. 61-66.

Chapter 6. Rare interview with Bill Evans recounts the story of Miles Davis and Kind of Blue, pp. 67-75.

Chapter 7. Bill Evans - Intellect, Emotion, Communication - By Don Nelsen, pp. 76-82. 

Chapter 8. Bill Evans - Romantic Agony by Whitney Balliett, pp. 83-85.

Chapter 9. Bill Evans - The Art of Playing - Dan Morgenstern, pp. 86-91.

Chapter 10. Bill Evans - The Ralph J. Gleason Interview, pp. 92-103.

Chapter 11. Bill Evans - "The Interplay Sessions" - Orrin Keepnews, pp. 104-110.

Chapter 12. "Bill Evans’s Influential Interplay" by John Edward Hasse, pp. 111-113.

Chapter 13. Bill Evans: Tales - Live in Copenhagen (1964) Elemental CD 5990445" - Zev Feldman. Pp. 114-121.

Chapter 14. Bill Evans: The Secret Sessions - Doug Ramsey, pp. 122-134.

Chapter 15: Bill Evans “in” Paris “with” Gene Lees, pp. 135-148.

Chapter 16. Bill Evans – The Sesjun Radio Shows - Steven A. Cerra, pp. 149-153.

Chapter 17. Bill Evans - Piano Player - Steven A. Cerra, pp. 154-156.

Chapter 18. Bill and Buonarroti: Empathy - Steven A. Cerra, pp. 157-159.

Chapter 19. Bassist Eddie Gomez and Drummer Marty Morell with Bill Evans in England, 1969, pp. 160-168.

Chapter 20. Erwin Blumenfeld and Bill Evans - Superimposition and Overdubbing - Steven A. Cerra, pp. 169-177. 

Chapter 21. Who Was Bill Evans? - Richard Terrill, pp. 178-193.

Chapter 22. Exposing The Issues: The Chuck Israels Interview from Randy Smith’s “Talking Jazz,” pp. 194-197.

Chapter 23. Chuck Israels on Bill Evans: An Analysis of Style, pp. 198-203.

Chapter 24. "Pianist Bill Evans and You, Professor" by Jacques Berlinerblau, pp. 204-206.

Chapter 25. Bill Evans: A Critical Appraisal by Larry Kart, pp. 207-214.

Chapter 26. Bill Evans - The 1979 Wayne Enstice - Paul Rubin Interview, pp. 215-224.

Chapter 27. "I Remember Bill" - Don Sebesky's Tribute to Bill Evans by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 225-228.

Chapter 28. Bill Evans: Time Remembered in a book by Peter Pettinger and in a film by Bruce Siegel by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 229-232.

Chapter 29. Times Remembered - The Final Years of the Bill Evans Trio by Joe 

La Barbera and Charles Levin, pp. 233-237.

Chapter 30. Bill Evans: The Len Lyons Interview, pp. 238-246.

Chapter 31. A Profile of Bill Evans by Neil Tesser pp. 247-303.

DISCOGRAPHY: p. 304

 

Stars of Jazz 5/19/1958 Stan Levey, Shorty Rogers, Vic Feldman, Frank Rosolino, Julie London

 

Jazz in California 1945-1965

 UNABASHED PLUG: I you have an interest in the wonderful world that was Jazz in California from 1945-1965, you might want to check out these volumes all of which are self-published on Amazon as paperbacks, eBooks and audio books. Just enter my name in the search window under Books when you are on the Amazon site. Each book is chock full of interviews, articles - some quite rare - and commentaries about every aspect of "Jazz on The Left Coast" during the post war period. 50% of the royalties go to the local school district to help purchase musical instruments for individual students and a full drum kit with cymbals has been donated to the local community college district. As always, your support is greatly appreciated.

Roy Burns with the Dick Grove Big Band - "Dead Ringer"

 

Pianist Pete Jolly with Arranger-Composer Dick Grove

While researching a piece on pianist Pete Jolly for my recently published Jazz Piano A Reader Volume 3, I came across a reference to this obscure recording that features some tracks arranged by Dick Grove, whom I like to refer to as the West Coast Gil Evans. Thank goodness a Jazz buddy sent me the music files one of which you can hear on this YouTube.

“Dick Grove has an extraordinary flair for color and a variety of timbres in his orchestrations. By using a cluster type of voicing, Grove achieves special moments of rich orchestral texture which are skillfully interwoven with statements from the soloist. The sound of muted trombones that is actually played by four open horns, with a flugelhorn on top, two tenor trombones and a bass trombone is just one of his devices. Various other tonal colors are achieved by using the flute doubling the lead an octave higher, putting woodwinds above the brass, and adding warmth through the use of flugelhorns….”

- Leonard Feather, insert notes to Little Bird Suite on Pacific Jazz [PJ-74]

RECUERDOS - Stan Kenton featuring Lennie Niehaus on alto sax