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Since Rifftides has been pretty much about Bill Evans since last Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal article, let’s continue with a discovery brought to light through fellow blogger Marc Myers on his JazzWax. It’s a 1976 interview with Evans by a pair of young jazz broadcasters on a Madison, Wisconsin radio station. Marc recruited Bret Primack, The Jazz Video Guy, to add pictures to the sound track of James Farber’s and Larry Goldberg’s interview. Thirty-nine years later, it’s fascinating to hear Evans jovial and relaxed in a 43-minute discussion about many things, including his time with Miles Davis (pictured above with Evans), the various editions of his trio and vagaries of his relationships with record companies.
For details about how the Evans interview became public via Marc Myers, please see his JazzWax post.
I liked the moment when Evans is talking about enjoying the articulation of Glenn Gould’s piano,
when he “happened to play” it on the Pike’s Peak album with Dave Pike. Bill doesn’t mention that he also played Gould’s piano on Conversations with Myself, or his (I guess) friendship with Glenn Gould. In conversation as in music, Evans seems to have the power of reserve, implying a lot that he doesn’t say.
BTW, I think the Pike’s Peak album is great, especially because it offers “Why Not,” a number reminiscent of Kind of Blue, with Evans revisiting “So What” type territory. Or as if we get to hear Bill Evans play John Coltrane’s “Impressions.” In fact, the sideman role often seemed to bring out the best in Bill Evans. And his own trios and solos are so much about hearing, and reacting to, others.
I am late to the party, but I would like to comment on the Dave Pike Pike’s Peak album. This represents an opportunity to hear Bill Evans at his sideman best—loose, swinging, unencumbered by the responsibilities of leadership, yet still coming up with fresh accompaniments for Pike and the others. (Speaking of the others, whatever happened to Walter Perkins? He was {is?} a marvelously swinging drummer who added spark to any date he was on.)
Back to Evans: His solos on “Why Not?” and “Besame Mucho” are worth of the price of admission. He tosses off fresh phrases of varying lengths on each and applies some “”different” Latin-based voicings to “Besame”.
The LP was in my collection for years and every now and then I would turn to it happily for another injection of Evans’s genius. With a embarrassing lack of foresight, I sold the entire collection to a used record store. CDs are nice and convenient, but the old LPs with their large format liner notes, often great photos and the contents within are where it’s at for this listener.
Walter Perkins died in 2004, four days following his 72nd birthday.
More on Walter Perkins:
First, his drum solo feature on “My Little Suede Shoes” with the Art Farmer Quartet (other members: Jim Hall and Steve Swallow), a solo that’s a cult classic in the drum community. (The complete January 10, 1964 Jazz Casual from which this clip is drawn can be viewed here, with the solo beginning at 23:48.
As the comments to the clip indicate, later in the sixties Perkins was in a car accident that limited his dexterity. He became a distinguished high school educator and drum corps leader, gave private lessons, and kept working. The last comment on the clip comes from Clark Gayton, a first call trombone and tuba player in New York City, who played with Perkins on club dates in the late ’90s.