Born and raised in New Jersey, Evans was recruited for Southeastern Louisiana University on a flute scholarship, where he received a thorough background in theory, played in the marching band, and also led his football team to a league championship as a quarterback. Graduating as a piano major in 1950, he started to tour with the Herbie Fields band, but the draft soon beckoned, and Evans was placed in the Fifth Army Band near Chicago. After three years in the service, he arrived in New York in 1954, playing in Tony Scott's quartet and undertaking postgraduate studies at Mannes College, where he encountered composer George Russell and his modal jazz theories. By 1956, he had already recorded his first album as a leader for Riverside, New Jazz Conceptions, still enthralled by the bop style of Bud Powell but also unveiling what was to become his best-known composition, "Waltz for Debby," which he wrote while still in the Army.
In spring 1958, Evans began an eight-month gig with the Miles Davis Sextet, where he exerted a powerful influence upon the willful yet ever-searching leader. Though Evans left the band that autumn, exhausted by pressured expectations and anxious to form his own group, he was deeply involved in the planning and execution of Davis' epochal Kind of Blue album in 1959, contributing ideas about mood, structure, and modal improvisation, and collaborating on several of the compositions. Although the original release gave composition credit of "Blue in Green" to Davis, Evans claimed he wrote it entirely, based on two chords suggested by Davis (nowadays, they receive co-credit).
Evans returned to the scene as a leader in December 1958 with the album Everybody Digs Bill Evans, which included the famous "Peace Piece," a haunting vamp for solo piano that sounds like a long-lost Satie Gymnopédie. Evans' first working trio turned out to be his most celebrated, combining forces with the astounding young bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian in three-way telepathic trialogues. With this group, Evans became a star -- and there was even talk about a recording with Davis involving the entire trio. Sadly, only ten days after a landmark live session at the Village Vanguard in June 1961, LaFaro was killed in an auto accident -- and the shattered Evans went into seclusion for almost a year. He re-emerged the following spring with Chuck Israels as his bassist, and he would go on to record duets with guitarist Jim Hall and a swinging quintet session, Interplay, with Hall and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.
Upon signing with Verve in 1962, Evans was encouraged by producer Creed Taylor to continue to record in more varied formats: with Gary McFarland's big band, the full-orchestra arrangements of Claus Ogerman, co-star Stan Getz, and a reunion with Hall. The most remarkable of these experiments was Conversations with Myself, a session where Evans overdubbed second and third piano parts onto the first; this eventually led to two sequels in that fashion.
By 1966, Evans had paired with Puerto Rican bassist Eddie Gomez and formed a trio with drummer Jack DeJohnette. Though short-lived, the group garnered attention, picking up a Grammy Award for the 1968 concert album Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival. That same year, DeJohnette left to be replaced by Marty Morell. This version of Evans' trio continued to work for a decade, releasing albums like 1969's What's New and 1971's Grammy-winning The Bill Evans Album. Evans also picked up a Grammy in 1970 for his solo piano date Alone.
In his only concession to the emerging jazz-rock scene, Evans dabbled with the Rhodes electric piano in the 1970s but eventually tired of it, even though inventor Harold Rhodes had tailored the instrument to Evans' specifications. He recorded further trio sessions with Gomez and drummer Eliot Zigmund before launching a final trio in the late '70s with bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe La Barbera. Often considered one of the pianist's best configurations since the LaFaro-Motian team, their brief time together was documented on 1979's Grammy-winning We Will Meet Again, also featuring trumpeter Tom Harrell and saxophonist Larry Schneider.
By the late '70s, Evans' health was rapidly deteriorating, aggravated by long periods of heroin and cocaine addiction. He died on September 15, 1980, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He was 51 years old. Along with a 1994 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a flood of unreleased recordings from commercial and private sources helped to further elevate interest in Evans' work. Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings arrived in 1996, followed by 2000's The Last Waltz, recorded at Keystone Korner in 1980. Resonance Records also released three archival albums featuring Evans' late-'60s trio: 2016's Some Other Time: The Lost Session from the Black Forest, 2018's Another Time: The Hilversum Concert, and 2020's Live at Ronnie Scott's.
Biography by Richard S. Ginell
There are other artists with the same name:
2.) Bill Evans (born 9th February 1958 in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, USA) is an American jazz saxophonist. His father was a classical piano prodigy and until junior high school Evans studied classical clarinet. Early in his studies he was able to hear such artists as Sonny Stitt and Stan Getz live at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. He attended Hinsdale Central High School and studied with jazz tenor saxophonist Vince Micko.
He plays primarily tenor and soprano saxophones. Evans attended North Texas State University and William Paterson University, where he studied with Dave Liebman, who had played with Miles Davis. Moving to New York City in 1979 he spent countless hours in lofts playing jazz standards and perfecting his improvisational style. At the age of twenty-two he joined Miles Davis. In the early to mid-1980s, Evans played with Davis and was instrumental in his musical comeback. Notable albums recorded with Miles include The Man with the Horn, We Want Miles, and Decoy.
In addition to playing with Miles Davis he has played, toured and recorded with artists such as Herbie Hancock, John Mclaughlin (and his Mahavishnu Orchestra), Michael Franks, Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Les McCann, Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb, Ian Anderson, and Randy Brecker, among others. He is featured on the Petite Blonde album with Victor Bailey, Dennis Chambers, Mitch Forman, and Chuck Loeb.
Two of his most recent albums Soul Insider and Soulgrass were nominated for Grammy awards. Soulgrass was a groundbreaking bluegrass-jazz fusion concept involving such musicians as Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Bruce Hornsby, and Vinnie Colaiuta. Although his latest projects are musically eclectic, his stylistic roots remain in the history of jazz saxophone, influenced by such players as Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Sonny Stitt, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Stan Getz, and Steve Grossman.
3.) San Francisco Bay Area musician and Virginia native Bill Evans has been involved with bluegrass music and the banjo for over twenty-five years as a player, teacher, writer, and historian. He occupies a unique niche in the banjo world: celebrated worldwide for his traditional and progressive bluegrass banjo styles as well as his innovative original compositions, he also enjoys a reputation as an outstanding instructor as well as being an expert player of nineteenth-century minstrel and classic/parlour banjo styles.
Unless It's You
Bill Evans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How did I guess that the long loneliness was past.
I merely looked at you and I knew that I knew.
It's you or no one for me
I'm sure of this each time we kiss
Now and forever and when forever's done
You'll find that you are still the one
Please don't say no to my plea
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
There's this about you
My world's an empty world without you
It's you or no one for me
Please don't say no to my plea
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
There's this about you
My world's an empty world without you
It's you or no one for me
For me
The lyrics to Bill Evans's song "Unless It's You" express a deep sense of certainty and connection between the singer and their love interest. The first two lines reflect the singer's intuitive understanding that the warmth and comfort they feel in the presence of their beloved is enduring and will not fade away easily. The mention of the "long loneliness" being past suggests that the singer has experienced a period of solitude or heartache, and now, by simply looking at their love interest, they feel a profound sense of knowing and understanding.
The chorus reinforces the singer's conviction that their love interest is the only one for them. They express absolute certainty in this assertion each time they kiss, indicating that the connection and affection they share are consistently strong. The lyrics emphasize the timelessness of their love by mentioning "now and forever" and even after forever. The repetition of "You'll find that you are still the one" indicates a belief that their love will endure through all circumstances.
The plea in the second verse and chorus reflects the vulnerability and dependence of the singer on their love interest. The plea not to say no implies that the singer's happiness and fulfillment are dependent on the reciprocation of their affection. Without their love interest, the singer's world feels empty and meaningless. The final line of the song, "It's you or no one for me," once again emphasizes the singer's unwavering commitment to their love interest.
Overall, the lyrics of "Unless It's You" convey a sense of deep certainty, connection, and dependency on a specific person for the singer's happiness and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
How did I know that the warmth of the glow would last.
I had an intuition that the feeling of happiness and contentment would remain for a long time.
How did I guess that the long loneliness was past.
I had a sense that the period of feeling alone and empty had finally come to an end.
I merely looked at you and I knew that I knew.
Just by glancing at you, I instantly recognized and understood the depth of my feelings.
It's you or no one for me
You are the only one who truly matters to me. There is no alternative.
I'm sure of this each time we kiss
Every time our lips meet, I am completely certain of my love for you.
Now and forever and when forever's done
Both in the present moment and for all eternity, even when the concept of eternity ceases to exist.
You'll find that you are still the one
No matter what happens, you will always be the person who occupies my heart and soul.
Please don't say no to my plea
I earnestly ask you not to reject my request or desire.
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
If you deny me, it will result in my complete emotional downfall.
There's this about you
Something undeniably special resides within you.
My world's an empty world without you
Without you, my existence feels vacant and devoid of meaning.
It's you or no one for me
There is no other person who can fill the void in my heart. It's only you that I desire.
For me
This sentiment is deeply personal and unique to my perspective.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erik Kihss
Such a gem of a composition. A real lesson in voice leading, common tones and harmony that moves in cycles of 3rds for the first half and 5ths in the second. His solo basically outlines the harmony with simple lines that make all the connections.
jean jacques Schnell
the melody with its hymn feeling like a call tells a story by itself no need to improvise!
Portia
This armonic progression drives me crazy.....OMG!!
Jutenks
Really nice:D Cool job!
noahvale939
An Evans rarity, like "Only Child", gorgeous and apparently abandoned after only one outing. Strange.
Pav L.
+noahvale939 I imagine the chords progression would never be comfortable for anyone like, ever. It's a really nice composition but because of constantly moving tonal centre it's difficult to get any lyrical and well thought out solo that Bill Evans is famous for. Listen to his solo - he's merely just 'playing the changes' here.
noahvale939
+Pav L. Good point - sort of like "Giant Steps".
Beka Gigauri
I guess, it calls also Chromatic Tune. Stunning song !
The jazz channel
il brano stesso è costruito sul circolo delle quinte, come su giant steps (si ascolti la linea del contrabbasso), in più le armonie rendono più difficile eseguire un solo su detto brano. ma ciò non sminuisce assolutamente la sua bellezza. perla davvero rara, che mostra la grande conoscenza dei classici