Bill Evans

I've been thinking about Bill Evans again today. Bill was a remarkable pianist. After him, everything changed in jazz because his approach to harmony and melody was so unique yet profound. Like all truly great creators, musically speaking he left only the essentials, stripping away anything superfluous to leave something both beautiful and delicately robust. When I think about the line drawings of Picasso I get the same sense of beauty through economy of material. He talks a little bit about this at the beginning of this clip then goes on to play a sublime version of "Alfie" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, accompanied by Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell. I love this because it's in someone's living room in Finland, the odd shot of wild windy weather outside through the window somehow adding to the sense of being in a sanctuary. Enjoy.