The Paris Concert Edition 1

I came to this record late, after growing accustomed to the sound of this band as capture on the Turn Out the Stars recordings captured at the Village Vanguard. On that session, the band is freer, energetic and adventurous, and the overall effect is one of great emotional intensity. Those performances became the standard for how I think of the final chapter of Bill Evans' career.This concert is different. The elegance of the ensemble playing is more reminiscent of the second long-running trio with Eddie Gomez and Marty Morrell; so is Bill's touch. Although the risk-taking and urgency that is all over the Turn Out the Stars tracks is not there, the control and mastery of the band is reassuring and ultimately very satisfying. In many ways, this performance reminds me of The Tokyo Concert album in its poise and sincerity.It is wonderful to hear Bill once again meditatively exploring career standards "Quiet Now" and "I Love You Porgy." His later pieces "I Do it for Your Love" and "Noelle's Theme" are also beautifully and sensitively rendered. For good measure, the band plays the hell out of "Beautiful Love" at the end with trading between Bill and Joe LaBarbera that was a trademark of this trio on uptempo grooves.So although it is not the last performance by this band, The Paris Concert does add a dose of continuity to Bill's final work integrating both material and interpretation across his career that longtime fans will find to be a fitting bookend to his oeuvre.

My review of The Paris Concert Edition 2 focussed on the original compositions by Bill Evans, but Edition 1 is also of interest as, to my ears, the compelling companion to round out a "must-have" performance from Evans' final trio. In Edition 1, Legrand's "Noelle's Theme" is heart-rending, as are other Legrand pieces, as, for instance, the title music in the album I Will Say Goodbye. In fact, the pairing of the two editions of the Paris Concert is very much like the pairing of I Will Say Goodbye and You Must Believe in Spring, the final main works of the Evans/Gomez/Zigmund trio in 1977, because the second album (You Must Believe in Spring) features works by Evans himself. As such, it is a study in contrasting moods to compare the two late trios. They are different: more lyrical in the case of Gomez and Zigmund, more musically advanced and adventurous in the case of Johnson/LaBarbera. In both these instances, however, Bill Evans is not quite the same person who, with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian, two decades earlier, was in a Zen-mode of archetypal simplicity and unlimited implications. But we need it all, and the Paris Concert (both editions) is the best guide to what Evans may have done in the future, had he lived.

The very first thing that hit me upon listening to this cd is how wonderful are the sonics! This cd was well recorded, well engineered, and mastered. If you have ever owned a cd which just plain sounds really really good on your stereo when played, then you will understand what I mean when I say the word 'sonics'.Bill Evans was taken with this particular trio often comparing it to his very first one with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. Anyone familiar with Bill's early history will know that his first trio was vaunted as something special and ended entirely too soon with the sudden death of Scott LaFaro. Marc Johnson, bassist, and Joe LaBarbera, drummer, are able co-conspirators on The Paris Concert Edition One. Following Mr. Evans' desire to play in a trio where equality among the instrumental voices reigned supreme, the work by all three musicians on this cd reflects a highly interactive unit moving in the same direction and to the same ends. There is true harmony and singleness of purpose on display. The respect and genuine love these fellows had for one another is so very present in the music they made. The songs on this cd are no exception.From the opening strains of Paul Simon's I Do It For Your Love, the deep emotion for which Bill Evans is famous is evident. I have never been able to listen to Bill Evans play without some emotional investment. After a beautiful solo piano introduction, the other two musicians combine and masterfully contribute just what is needed to take us to the next level before ending the song. Quiet Now, Noelle's Theme, My Romance, I Loves You Porgy, Up With the Lark, All Mine, and Beautiful Love receive the same treatment of sensitivity, awareness, mutual respect, and yes, love, that the first song got.The overall tone of this cd is relaxed and easy to entreat. The level of musicianship takes this cd well away from being categorized as easy listening or smooth jazz. However, the songs are all accessible and enjoyable even to the average non-musician-type listener. There is an elegance to the proceedings which can only be conjured in a live performance by the caliber of musician that Bill Evans or Duke Ellingtonfor example, were. I recommend this cd to anyone who loves great jazz. There is nothing "outside" or hard to understand about the music. For the Bill Evans fan, you won't be disappointed. For the person who hasn't yet heard the music of Mr. Evans, The Paris Concert, Editions One and Two are a great resource for introduction.

A propósito de la calidad artística... Imprescindible para quienes quieran completar su colección en cuánto a Bill Evans: 4/5.Si no tienes poco o nada, mejor empezar por lo básico → Waltz for Debby, Village Vanguard, Empathy-Shelly Manne... Hay muchos trabajos más interesantes que éstos 2 conciertos de ParísA lo que iba:Porqué Amazon insiste en mandar los CD en sobres de cartón (protección 0), siendo la caja del CD de plástico rígido? No lo sé, su motivos tendrán, pero 2/2 con la jewel case agrietada/rota. Debería devolver de nuevo para ver si a base de ir pagando portes invierten en embalaje específico para CD como en los vinilos.Volverían a mandar el CD para su reemplazo pero no tengo tanto tiempo que perder, me quedo con la caja del CD dañada... en fin.

Du durchlebst gerade ganz schwere Zeiten,fühlst dich einsam und verlassen,dir hagelt es dir so richtig in die Bude,kurz dir gehts Scheiße?Du mußt da alleine durch,aber du kannst dir helfen lassen! z.B. durch Vol 1 und 2 dieses Konzertes.etwas unwahrscheinlich tröstliches gehtvon dieser sehr reduzierten und konzentrierten Musik aus.Sie hat nichts von langweiligem Entspannungsgedudel,kommt trotz der Reduktionauf das Trio aus Piano,Bass,Drums kraftvoll und gleichzeitig hoch sensibel rüber.Bill Evans hatte durch seine Heroin-Sucht und den Suizid seiner Frau und seines Bruders kein leichtes Leben.Als einziger weißer Musiker ander Entstehung von Miles Davis epochalem Meisterwerk,fühlte er sich dennoch als nicht recht zugehörig.Der Mann weiß also wovon er spricht.Übrigens,wenns wieder besser geht: Dieses Konzert ist und bleibt zeitlos schöne Musik!

CD arrivato prima del tempo.e in ottimo stato. Non ho nulla da ridire.

Replacements for earlier copies. Must-have performances.

Bill Evans a toujours fait preuve d'immenses qualités. Mais dans ce concert il est tellement en phase avec Marc Johnson et Joe LaBarbera, qu'il atteint d'autres sommets. Quelle sensibilité qui confine à de la spiritualité. Magnifique.