herbie is not known for his ballads.
As a piano player, I can truthfully say that from a harmonic standpoint, Evans opened more doors for me that any other jazz pianist, before or after.
what doors are you talking about?
I think that Bill Evans, more than probably any single pianist, stands as a pivotal figure between the bop and post-bop players and the modal and more experimental players of the 60s, who I referenced previously.
while i adore evans - i believe that george russell more accurately fits this bill.