Bill Evans Art Of Duo: Conversations With Myself & Further Conversations With Myself CD

Two terrific albums from legendary saxophonist Bill Evans, CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF and its equally powerful sequel FURTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF, are collected here

One of Bill Evans' first projects after signing with Verve in the early 1960s was his landmark album Conversations with Myself, in which the pianist laid down a basic track for each song and overdubbed two additional lines on top of it. Unlike previous attempts by other artists, Evans truly is responding to what he hears on the initial performance and there are no dull tracks within this session. Highlights include the inspired treatment of "'Round Midnight," the shimmering, beautiful setting of "Love Theme from Spartacus," the dirge-like "N.Y.C.'s No Lark" (an anagram of pianist Sonny Clark, who had recently died from a drug overdose) and the playful duet of Thelonious Monk's "Blue Monk." Two tracks that initially appeared on a separate anthology are also included. Evans returned to do a follow-up session in 1967 titled Further Conversations with Myself, though this project consisted strictly of duo piano tracks, in which all seven performances were completed in a single session. While this latter recording isn't as adventurous or striking, it is no less essential for fans of the pianist. His delightful romp through "Emily" (a piece which remained a part of his concert repertoire for the remainder of his life) and the angular approach to the standard "Yesterdays" are impressive. Like the earlier album, Evans included only one original, the somewhat obscure ballad "Funny Man" co-written with Larry Coleman. The pianist's haunting conclusion is Denny Zeitlin's requiem "Quiet Now," another piece which captivated Evans and was a regular part of his live performances. ~ Ken Dryden

Double CD release, featuring these 2 great releases together.