The Bebop Shop : Destination Out! Beyond Bebop : Gil Evans
AVID begins its tribute to Gil Evans (one of jazz’s most influential and significant individuals both as composer and arranger) with "New Bottle Old Wine" recorded in 1958. The album represents works from earlier eras in a contemporary big band framework with writing by major jazz composers and influential players like W.C. Handy, Lester Young, Dizzy, Bird, Monk, Armstrong and Jelly Roll! For "Great Jazz Standards" from 1959 Gil makes use of several highly individual styles and approaches to his music blending the soloists to his own band voice to create a third blended musical personality. He makes full use of such great names as Curtis Fuller, Johnny Coles, Steve Lacey and Elvin Jones. 1960’s "Out Of The Cool" features the orchestra that Gil had settled on which he felt afforded him the best outlet for his musical ideas. Evans tended to under write his arrangements allowing the soloists more room to create, some were merely sketches that would often come to life during performance! George Russells Lydian Concept as applied to twelve bar blues appears on his composition "Stratusphunk", the concept perhaps better known and utilised on the classic Miles Davis album Kind Of Blue! "Into The Hot" features Gil’s orchestra from 1961 and focuses on the work of two composers, trumpet player John Carisi and pianist Cecil Taylor. Carisi had contributed to the classic Mile Davis album "Birth Of The Cool" and was now concentrating on his writing rather than playing. Cecil Taylor was a near avant garde pianist his music often strident and difficult. Gil declared of Taylor………"when I hear him I start laughing in pleasure because his work is so full of things. There’s so much going on……….whatever he does just bristles with all kinds of possibilities" Both composers lead their own orchestras through Gils arrangements, the orchestras feature such great names as Bob Brookmeyer, Phil Woods, Milt Hinton, Clark Terry, Archie Shepp, Roswell Rudd, Henry Grimes and Sunny Murray. All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered. (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
This tentet utilizes five brass (including French horn) and bassoon; marks his recording debut as a pianist; and features the alto saxophone of Lee Konitz (his colleague in both the Thornhill and Davis units of the Forties) and Steve Lacy on soprano saxophone, at a time before John Coltrane had yet to popularize that instrument among modern reedmen. (Fantasy, Inc.) Price: £15.49
A BEBOP SHOP MILESTONE- An essential recording for your jazz CD shelf Price: £9.99
By the 1980s, the Gil Evans Orchestra's repertoire had developed into a distinctive blend of Jimi Hendrix melodies, the band members' own compositions and occasional references to Gil's older recordings. This concert in Hamburg contained four songs by Hendrix, with only one ("Up From The Skies") being part of an original studio album. The regular performances in Europe meant that the audience of the band was getting younger and was also well acquainted with rock music.
A year and a half after this performance, Gil Evans passed away. He will rightly be remembered forever for the brilliant albums he recorded with Miles Davis and under his own name. In reality, however, he lived three quite contrasting musical lives. As was the case with his Monday evening concerts in New York's Sweet Basil, this Hamburg performance is a reminder of the lively late phase of Gil Evans. Here a great all-star ensemble played an outstanding concert of eight pieces in over two hours. (Proper Music) Price: £25.99
