Bill Evans: Behind The Dikes: The 1969 Netherlands Recordings

Editor's Choice

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Eddie Gomez
Bill Evans
Marty Morell (d)
Claus Ogerman (arr)
Metropole Orkest (arr)

Label:

Elemental

August/2021

Media Format:

2CD, 3LP

Catalogue Number:

5990441/5990539

RecordDate:

Rec. 25 Mar-28 Nov 1969

This, the latest release in a seemingly unstoppable stream of unreleased Evans recordings stems from two European tours, falling chronologically between the October 1968 Live At The Top Of The Gate and December 1969's In England (both on Resonance). Studio-wise, little was happening at the time for Bill, except the album with Jeremy Steig (What's New) and starting work on the strings project From Left To Right, his first recording to include some electric piano.

Actually, there's nine minutes of studio work tucked away at the end of this Dutch programme, when the trio guested with the Metropole Orchestra (then still state-radio-funded) reprising a couple of innocuous tracks from Evans' 1965 album With Symphony Orchestra. The remaining 105 minutes has two considerably more energetic live dates, the music from March containing among its 14 items some relatively infrequent items of Evans' repertoire like ‘My Funny Valentine’ and even Ellington's 'I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart, The six tracks from November have previously been issued with less good sound on labels like Affinity, and all of this material shows Morell settling in well and Gomez going from strength to strength, not only when backing Bill but in some incredible melodic solos. Certainly a winner.

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