Bill Evans Orchestra Brandeis Jazz Festival CD - Import

The 1957 Brandeis Jazz Festival featured the work of 6 of the finest composers from the jazz and 20th Century Classical avant-garde. George Russell, Charles Mingus and Jimmy Giuffre represented the jazz contingency. These outstanding concerts featured the finest musicians of the day performing some extremely difficult and highly rewarding charts that tested theirs mettle as both improvisers and sight readers. Among the brightest stars of the concerts was pianist Bill Evans, whose considerable talents were tested in a variety of styles to great results. His excellent performances here gained him a reputation as a top-notch pianist which would directly lead to an invitation to join Miles Davis' legendary sextet. The 3 rare bonus tracks of Bill Evans with Don Elliott at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival showcase the pianist's fluid versatility in an unusual quartet setting featuring Elliot alternating between the mellophone and vibraphone. Gambit. 2005.

This remastered, nine-track collection featuring legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans performing at 1957's Brandeis Jazz Festival includes "All About Rosie" and "On Green Mountain."
CD contains 3 bonus tracks.
Personnel: Bill Evans (piano); Charles Mingus (vocals); Barry Galbraith (guitar); Margaret Ross (harp); Manuel Zegler (bassoon); John LaPorta (alto saxophone); Hal McKusick (tenor saxophone); Louis Mucci, Art Farmer (trumpet); James Buffington (flugelhorn); Jimmy Knepper (trombone); Don Elliott (Mellotron, vibraphone, bongos); Teddy Charles (vibraphone); Al Beldini, Todd Sommer (drums).
Liner Note Author: Sheldon Cohen.
Author: Art Farmer.
Editor: Sheldon Cohen.
Arranger: Gunther Schuller.
This oddly packaged CD compilation issued by the European label Gambit is a bit misleading, as it combines titles that appeared on several different releases, though none of the performances actually come from a concert. Most of the material is representative of third stream experiments popular for a time in the late '50s and early '60s, with Bill Evans in the role as a hired hand rather than leader, the role that falls either to conductors Gunther Schuller or George Russell, with most of the tracks originating from a Columbia LP titled Modern Jazz Concert and having reappeared in various incarnations with other selections in earlier reissues. Russell's impressive modern big band scoring of his "All About Rosie" is easily one of the highlights, with terrific ensembles and solos. Charles Mingus' "Revelations" is rather ominous, often suggesting the influence of Igor Stravinsky. The last three tracks are from an unrelated live Newport Jazz Festival Verve recording by mellophonist Don Elliott, who leads a quartet with Bill Evans, bassist Ernie Furtado, and drummer Al Beldini through merely average arrangements of three standards. The piecemeal gathering of these very dissimilar sessions for two different labels is troublesome, though the difficulty in acquiring this music make this edition a viable option for collectors. ~ Ken Dryden