Bill Evans Trio • Moon Beams

Moonbeams was the first recording Bill Evans made after the death of his musical right arm, bassist Scott LaFaro. Indeed, in LaFaro, Evans found a counterpart rather than a sideman, and the music they made together over four albums showed it. Bassist Chuck Israels from Cecil Taylor and Bud Powell's bands took his place in the band with Evans and drummer Paul Motian and Evans recorded the only possible response to the loss of LaFaro -- an album of ballads. The irony on this recording is that, despite material that was so natural for Evans to play, particularly with his trademark impressionistic sound collage style, is that other than as a sideman almost ten years before, he has never been more assertive than on Moonbeams. It is as if, with the death of LaFaro, Evans' safety net was gone and he had to lead the trio alone. And he does first and foremost by abandoning the impressionism in favor of a more rhythmic and muscular approach to harmony. The set opens with an Evans original, "RE: Person I Knew," a modal study that looks back to his days he spent with Miles Davis. There is perhaps the signature jazz rendition of "Stairway to the Stars," with its loping yet halting melody line and solo that is heightened by Motian's gorgeous brush accents in the bridge section. Other selections are so well paced and sequenced the record feels like a dream, with the lovely stuttering arpeggios that fall in "If You Could See Me Now," and the cascading interplay between Evan's chords and Israel's punctuation in "It Might As Well Be Spring," a tune Evans played for the rest of his life. The set concludes with a waltz in "Very Early," that is played at that proper tempo with great taste and delicate elegance throughout, there is no temptation by the rhythm section to charge it up or to elongate the harmonic architecture by means of juggling intervals. Moonbeams was a startling return to the recording sphere and a major advancement in his development as a leader.

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Moonbeams fue la primera grabación que Bill Evans hizo después de la muerte de su brazo derecho musical, el bajista Scott LaFaro. De hecho, en LaFaro, Evans encontró una contraparte en lugar de un sideman, y la música que hicieron juntos en cuatro álbumes lo demostró. El bajista Chuck Israels de las bandas de Cecil Taylor y Bud Powell tomó su lugar en la banda con Evans y el baterista Paul Motian y Evans grabó la única respuesta posible a la pérdida de LaFaro -- un álbum de baladas. La ironía de esta grabación es que, a pesar del material que era tan natural para que Evans tocara, particularmente con su estilo impresionista de collage de sonido, es que aparte de ser un sideman casi diez años antes, nunca ha sido más asertivo que en Moonbeams. Es como si, con la muerte de LaFaro, la red de seguridad de Evans hubiera desaparecido y tuviera que liderar el trío solo. Y lo hace, ante todo, abandonando el impresionismo en favor de un enfoque más rítmico y muscular de la armonía. El set se abre con un original de Evans, "RE: Person I Knew", un estudio modal que mira hacia atrás a sus días con Miles Davis. Tal vez esté la interpretación de jazz de "Stairway to the Stars", con su línea melódica y a la vez vacilante y su solo que se ve realzado por los magníficos acentos de Motian en la sección del puente. Otras selecciones están tan bien marcadas y secuenciadas que el disco parece un sueño, con los encantadores arpegios tartamudeando que caen en "If You Could See Me Now," y la interacción en cascada entre los acordes de Evan y la puntuación de Israel en "It Might As Well Be Spring," una melodía que Evans tocó durante el resto de su vida. El conjunto concluye con un vals en "Very Early", que se toca a ese ritmo propio con gran gusto y delicada elegancia en todo momento, no hay tentación por parte de la sección rítmica de cargarlo o alargar la arquitectura armónica por medio de intervalos de malabarismo. Moonbeams fue un sorprendente regreso a la esfera de la grabación y un gran avance en su desarrollo como líder.

 

 

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Tracks:

01 - Re Person I Knew
02 - Polka Dots and Moonbeams
03 - I Fall in Love Too Easily
04 - If You Could See Me Now
05 - It Might as Well Be Spring
06 - In Love in Vain
07 - Very Early

Credits:
Bill Evans - piano
Chuck Israels - bass
Paul Motian - drums

1962 

 

 

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