Requisites
The Paris Concert, Edition One ~ Bill Evans | By Eddie Carter
Ever since I’ve been a jazz fan, the piano has always been one of my favorite instruments, and one of my favorite pianists is Bill Evans. My introduction to his playing began with Explorations (1961), Kind of Blue (1959), and Waltz For Debby (1962). Several of his originals have become jazz standards, and many of his albums still resonate with listeners and musicians today. Bill steps into the spotlight of this discussion with the first of two entertaining live dates. The Paris Concert, Edition One (Elektra Musician E1 60164) captures his trio’s performance at L’Espace Cardin on November 26, 1979. He’s joined on stage by Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. My copy used in this report is the 1983 US Stereo album.
The concert opens with the ensemble’s touching rendition of I Do It For Your Love by Paul Simon. Bill begins with a delicately tender introduction segueing into a very pretty melody. Evans embodies a feeling and spirit of enduring love in the song’s only solo with an elegantly graceful interpretation. Marc and Joe supply the soft supplement ahead of the pianist ending the song sweetly. Quiet Now is a lovely tune by Denny Zeitlin. Evans takes the lead again in a hauntingly beautiful introduction ahead of the trio’s peaceful theme. Bill is provided with an excellent showcase to deliver a presentation of luxurious beauty with Johnson and LaBarbera complimenting him perfectly into the group’s affectionate finale.
Noelle’s Theme by Michel Legrand is a moving solo performance that Bill performs with heartfelt warmth and sensitivity in the melody and during his statement that not only touches the crowd but the listener as well. My Romance by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart begins with a lively introduction by Evans, then the pace picks up for the group’s main theme. The highlight is the skillful construction of the first two readings by LaBarbera and Johnson who take turns on their alternate verses with impeccable brushwork and splendid bass lines. Evans unlocks a rich variety of creative ideas next, then LaBarbera adds a few final comments into the pianist’s vivacious closing chorus which receives enthusiastic approval from the crowd at its conclusion.
Side Two gets underway with I Loves You Porgy by George and Ira Gershwin, and DuBose Heyward. It made its debut in the 1935 Broadway opera, Porgy and Bess, and later became a jazz standard. Bill has the stage to himself in a second solo showcase of melodic beauty that he performs with the greatest assurance and sensitive delicacy. Up With The Lark by Jerome Kern and Leo Robin is the first of two duets of piano and bass. Evans and Johnson operate in perfect communication during the opening chorus. Bill takes the lead and delivers an illustrious solo that’s pure magic. Marc provides the exclamation point in an exquisite performance preceding Bill’s ending theme and the audience’s appreciative applause.
The duo returns for All Mine (Minha) by Ruy Guerra and Francis Hime. Bill instills the melody and song’s only statement with expressive beauty, anchored by Marc’s subtle accompaniment into an ending of perfect tranquility. The ensemble returns to full form for Beautiful Love by Wayne King, Victor Young, Egbert Van Alstyne, and Haven Gillespie, which Bill first performed on Explorations. A brief introduction sets the tone for the group’s lively theme. Bill soars over the rhythm section with a vigorous romp on the opening solo. Marc cuts loose with some scintillating notes on the second statement. Bill and Joe unleash a dazzling exchange of infectious riffs and explosive brushwork before Bill swings into the climax. The album concludes with excerpts from a conversation between Bill and Harry Evans.
The Paris Concert, Edition One was produced by Helen Keane, and Yves Abiteboul produced the concert for radio broadcast. This concert was recorded by Radio France and the recording engineer was Stew Romaine. This is a first-rate recording with a superb soundstage that makes the listener feel like they’re in the audience as the trio is performing. If you’re a fan of Bill Evans and are in the mood for something soothing after a long day or week, I invite you to check out The Paris Concert, Edition One on your next vinyl shopping trip. It’s an enticing invitation to explore a remarkable live album by Bill Evans that’s an assortment of delights you’re sure to enjoy!
Explorations (Riverside RLP 351/RLP 9351), Kind of Blue (Columbia CL 1355/CS 8163), The Paris Concert, Edition Two (Elektra Musician E1-60311), Waltz For Debby (Riverside RLP 399/RLP 9399) – Source: Discogs.com
~ I Loves You Porgy, My Romance – Source: JazzStandards.com ~ Beautiful Love – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2022 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Denis Alphonso Charles was born December 4, 1933 in St. Croix, Virgin Islands and first played bongos at age seven with local ensembles. 1945 saw him moving to New York City, and gigging frequently around town. Nine years later he was working with Cecil Taylor and the pair collaborated until 1958. Following this he played with Steve Lacy, Gil Evans, and Jimmy Giuffre. Befriending Ed Blackwell, the two influenced each other.
He went on to record with Sonny Rollins on a calypso-tinged set, and then returned to Lacy, with whom he played until 1964. He worked with Archie Shepp and Don Cherry in 1967, but heroin addiction saw him leave the record industry until 1971. In the 1970s and 1980s, he played regularly on the New York jazz scene with Frank Lowe, David Murray, Charles Tyler, Billy Bang, and others. He also played funk, rock, and traditional Caribbean music. He released three discs as a leader between 1989 and 1992. , and died of pneumonia in his sleep in New York in 1998.
Drummer Denis Charles, who released three albums as a leader, thirty-four as a sideman and several with the BMC Trio, transitioned four days after a five week European tour on March 26, 1998 from pneumonia.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Melissa Aldana was born on December 3, 1988 in Santiago, Chile and began playing the saxophone when she was six under the influence and tuition of her father Marcos Aldana, also a professional saxophonist. She began with alto, influenced by Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley and Michael Brecker. However, upon first hearing the music of Sonny Rollins, she switched to tenor, picking up her grandfather’s Selmer Mark VI.
Performing around hometown jazz clubs while in her early teens, in 2005 she was invited by pianist Danilo Pérez to play at the Panama Jazz Festival as well as auditions at music schools in the USA. This resulted in Melissa attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts studying under Joe Lovano, George Garzone, Frank Tiberi, Greg Osby, Hal Crook, Bill Pierce, and Ralph Peterson. After graduating she relocated to New York City to study with George Coleman.
Aldana recorded her debut album, Free Fall, released in 2010 on Greg Osby’s Inner Circle Music label. Two years later she released her sophomore project, Second Cycle, and by age 24, she was the first female and South American musician to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, in which her father had been a semi-finalist in 1991. The prize was a $25,000 scholarship, and a recording contract with Concord Jazz.
Aldana has been awarded the Altazor National Arts Award of Chile, and the Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award. She has played concerts alongside artists such as Peter Bernstein, Kevin Hays, Christian McBride, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Jimmy Heath and Wynton Marsalis.
She has formed the group, Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio, with Cuban drummer Francisco Mela and Chilean bassist Pablo Menares, and in addition her most recent configuration in 2017, the Melissa Aldana Quartet includes Aldana on tenor saxophone, pianist Sam Harris or guitarist Lage Lund, bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Kush Abadey.
Tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana continues to explore and expand her vocabulary as she performs and records.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Charlie Ventura was born Charles Venturo on December 2, 1916 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the 1940s, he played saxophone for the Gene Krupa and Teddy Powell bands. In 1945 he was named best tenor saxophonist by DownBeat magazine.
During the Forties he led big bands and led a band which included Conte Candoli, Bennie Green, Boots Mussulli, Ed Shaughnessy, Jackie Cain, and Roy Kral. By the 1950s he formed the Big Four with Buddy Rich, Marty Napoleon, and Chubby Jackson. He was a sideman with Krupa through the 1960s, then worked in Las Vegas with comedian Jackie Gleason. By the 1980s he slowed down until finally retiring from music.
Tenor saxophonist and bandleader Charlie Ventura transitioned from lung cancer on January 17, 1992 in Pleasantville, New Jersey at age 75. was an American from
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TERENCE HARPER PROJECT
Performances: 2 Sets | 7:30pm & 9:30pm
Terence Harper started playing the drums at the age of two and at twelve years old began playing the trumpet. While in middle school, Terence began playing the drums for one of the Spelman College Jazz ensembles under the direction of Joe Jennings, while also being featured on a recording with the Inman Middle School jazz band on both trumpet and drums. He went on to matriculate through Rutgers University as a classical trumpet major in 2009, where he studied under William Fielder, who has been regarded as one of the greatest trumpet instructors of his generation. After graduating from Rutgers, Terence relocated to Atlanta, GA where he teaches both privately and publicly.
He occasionally teaches music with the Atlanta Music Project, as well as, continuing to freelance and performs constantly throughout the country. Harper performed weekly at the now defunct yet premier jazz club of Atlanta, Churchill Grounds. Consistently adding to his arsenal, he has studied theory and composition with his father Danny Harper, who is a nationally known and respected music educator at Miles College and also composer and arranger for The Harper Brothers group on Verve record label. He has appeared on numerous radio stations in Atlanta including WCLK and WRFG of Atlanta.
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