Bill Evans issues on Resonance & Elemental: What do people think about them?

[Bol]

There are certainly a lot of these coming out.  What do people think about them?  I find them oddly deflating.  They are all very pleasant, but they don't seem to add much to the available "official" recordings.  On the other hand, I find the Ahmad Jamal issues on Elemental very exciting, even scintillating.  But I can't explain my diverging reactions.  I like both pianists a lot.  Perhaps it has to do with the glut of the Evans recordings, and the relative dearth of the Jamal recordings.  Would be interested to hear from others.

[jazzbo]

Hello old friend. I share your enthusiasm for the Jamal recordings and agree that it is likely bolstered by the fact that I don't have a lot of similar recordings from Jamal. I do really like the Evans though, as well. I find them fascinating as they have varied trios and instrumentation, and varying recording characteristics, and they have been arriving with nice stretches of time between them, giving me a chance to enjoy and digest one and look forward to the next. Which I do, I found I was excited when the next was announced and then released. I look forward to the next.

I think also adding value for me is that there are recordings of two drummers I really like with Evans and who aren't as heavily documented elsewhere: Jack DeJohnette and Marty Morell. And the recording quality of these releases range from good to very good, with one exception where the balance is not great, but in that case the bassist is so well-presented which I enjoy.

Edited Sunday at 01:28 PM by jazzbo

[Bol]

Hello Lon.  Thanks for the response.  I will try the Evans recordings again some more before I give up on them.  I definitely listen less patiently when I am super busy at work.  Hope all is good in Ohio.

[Pim]

I’ve streamed a couple of them but none of them made a very lasting impression. Not that their bad or something but they just didn’t have something that really stuck with me. 

[jazzbo]

2 hours ago, Bol said:

Hello Lon.  Thanks for the response.  I will try the Evans recordings again some more before I give up on them.  I definitely listen less patiently when I am super busy at work.  Hope all is good in Ohio.

Things are pretty good. . . my old blind and deaf dog passed two weeks ago and that has really impacted my life. I'm adjusting. 

[Bol]

2 hours ago, jazzbo said:

Things are pretty good. . . my old blind and deaf dog passed two weeks ago and that has really impacted my life. I'm adjusting. 

Very sorry about your dog.  I know how tough it can be.  I still keep my old dog's tag on my keychain and remember her almost every day.  Amazing how attached we get to these creatures!  

2 hours ago, Pim said:

I’ve streamed a couple of them but none of them made a very lasting impression. Not that their bad or something but they just didn’t have something that really stuck with me. 

That's my reaction exactly.  But I will give them a few more spins.

[jazzbo]

Yes, they become family. This dog was a one person dog, and I was that person. It was a lot of responsiblity, but it is really a unique feeling to be loved the way she loved me. And this century I have lost all but one of the living beings that mean the most to me, and the cumulative effect has been heavy. Time will help.

I had immediate positive reactions to all these Evans releases. . . I must be an anamoly.

Edited Sunday at 08:53 PM by jazzbo

[Bol]

6 minutes ago, jazzbo said:

Yes, they become family. This dog was a one person dog, and I was that person. It was a lot of responsiblity, but it is really a unique feeling to be loved the way she loved me. And this century I have lost all but one of the living beings that mean the most to me, and the cumulative effect has been heavy. Time will help.

I had immediate positive reactions to all these Evans releases. . . I must be an anamoly.

Hang in there.  There is no easy fix, in my own experience.  Work, exercise, music, friends, and years.  Those are the only solutions I know.  All the best, my friend.  

[jazzbo]

Thanks! And yes, those are the good solutions. I have ruled out one of my immediate ideas, starting to drink. It's a bit complicated as well as my dear wife is also grieving. . . and more vocally than I am wont to be, and that feeds my own feelings a few extra meals. But time, and perhaps later this year another dog, will help a lot.

 

Edited Sunday at 11:53 PM by jazzbo

[JSngry]

Keep making memories.

[Clunky]

12 hours ago, jazzbo said:

Yes, they become family. This dog was a one person dog, and I was that person. It was a lot of responsiblity, but it is really a unique feeling to be loved the way she loved me. And this century I have lost all but one of the living beings that mean the most to me, and the cumulative effect has been heavy. Time will help.

I had immediate positive reactions to all these Evans releases. . . I must be an anamoly.

Hi Lon

I'm very sorry for your loss. I'm hopelessly devoted to my two dogs. The rest of the family love them too but make no mistake they are my dogs...

[jazzbo]

Ha! I understand how that is, and it's not necessarily your choice. Thanks, it's getting better--and I was able to spend hours away from home without guilt yesterday at a "protest" without guilt or consequence, which is a new thing.

[John L]

This is an interesting thread.   Almost all of the Resonance and Elemental releases come from the period of Evans' deepest heroin habit: 1964-1970.  He almost always still played well during that period, but sometimes it could sound almost like he was phoning it in.  We have so many live recordings from that period that it is easy for something to sound rather generic.  I do think that some of the Resonance / Elemental releases fit that category, although hearing Evans in (usually) good sound on those records can still be quite enjoyable.     

In my view, the major exception to the above is the documentation by Resonance of the trio with Jack Dejohnette.   That trio had a special sound, and I think that it inspired Evans.  All we had until recently was the single Verve release of Live at Montreux.   Thanks to Resonance, we now we have more than five times as much music from that trio, which is an important addition to Evans' discography (IMO).  

Edited Monday at 12:54 PM by John L

[clifford_thornton]

Sorry to hear about your buddy, Lon.

Is there more from the Ljubljana date with Oxley (one track is on Live at the Festival)? Might be an interesting Resonance date if it can be scrounged up.

[jazzbo]

Thanks. 

[John L]

On 5/5/2025 at 10:35 AM, clifford_thornton said:

Sorry to hear about your buddy, Lon.

Is there more from the Ljubljana date with Oxley (one track is on Live at the Festival)? Might be an interesting Resonance date if it can be scrounged up.

This is very possible.  The entire Ljubjiana concert has already been bootlegged in fairly good sound, but the sound can still most likely be improved upon.