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.
What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
Bill Evans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In fields of dawn and forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life
I have only one request of your life
All the seasons and the times of your days
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me
I want to see your face in every kind of light
In the fields of dawn and the forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two
Through all of my life
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you
The song “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life” by Bill Evans is a beautiful love ballad that speaks of a desire to share one’s life with the person they love. The lyricist talks about wanting to see their lover in every kind of light, from the fields of dawn to the forests of the night. They want to be there to hear their partner’s every wish, the silent ones and those spoken aloud. The singer then asks what their lover intends to do with the rest of their life, offering the singular request that they spend it all with them.
The lyrics are poetic and romantic, expressing a deep love and a desire for a long-lasting relationship. The singer wants to share in all the seasons and times of their life, to be there for the nickels and dimes of their days, and to be the reason and rhyme for all their days. The love described in this song is enduring, and the singer wants to be the one to awaken what’s asleep in their lover’s eyes; a tender sentiment that shows they want to be there for everything, both the good and the bad, and to always support their partner.
In the end, the singer reflects on the times of their life and how, through it all, they will always remember their life with their beloved. This is a timeless love song, with lyrics that speak to anyone who has ever been in love, making it a classic.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to see your face in every kind of light
I want to experience every kind of emotion with you and know you both in your best and worst moments.
In fields of dawn and forests of the night
I want to share every moment of our waking and sleeping experiences with you.
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
I want to be there for all of your major life events and celebrations.
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
I want to know you inside-out, even your deepest desires and secrets.
What are you doing the rest of your life?
I want to know if you will commit to spending the rest of your life with me.
North and South and East and West of your life
I want to be with you wherever you go, and I know that life can take us in many directions.
I have only one request of your life
My only request for your life is that you choose me to spend it with.
That you spend it all with me
I want to be your lifelong partner and share in all the good and bad times.
All the seasons and the times of your days
I want to be with you through every season of life and all of its ups and downs.
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
I want to be there even for the small, seemingly unimportant moments in your life.
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
I want to be part of your everyday life and memories.
All begin and end with me
I want to be the center of your universe and the one you turn to for everything.
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
I see a future with you and want to explore it together.
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
I see the love and passion you have for me, and I want that to be the foundation of our relationship.
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
I want to bring out the best in you and help you grow into your fullest potential.
It may take a kiss or two
I am willing to put in the effort and work to make our relationship stronger and to help you become the best version of yourself.
Through all of my life
I want to spend my entire life committed to you.
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
I want to be with you through every season and every phase of life.
All I ever will recall of my life
I know that my life will always be intertwined with yours, and I will remember our time together above all else.
Is all of my life with you
My life will be incomplete without you, and I want to spend it with you until the end of time.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Alan Bergman, Mariliyn Bergman, Michel Legrand
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rofanolubis8896
Bill Evans
From Left To Right
Harold Rhodes dream come true when Bill Evans call him and ask wonder if he can use one of Harold invention : Fender Rhodes Electric Piano for Bill upcoming album.
From Left To Right is one of my Bill Evans transcendence romanticism lyrical album favorite ( the others are : Alone , You Must Believe in Spring ). How could i resist this beauty combination work of Rhodes and Piano with orchestral accompaniment played by one of the most remarkable musicians of our time .
Michel Leonard arranger complement also a first class orchestration that made this record a timeless bonafide classic album for every jazz music fans .
What are you doing for the rest of your life ? Be surrender let Bill Evans takes you with his melodious soulful finger melody .
Pure Bliss !
@peterthusat5513
What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me
All the seasons and the times of your days
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me
I want to see your face in every kind of light
In the fields of dawn and the forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two
Through all of my life
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you
@thatboy2163
I want to see your face in every kind of light
In fields of dawn and forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me
All the seasons and the times of your days
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me
I want to see your face in every kind of light
In the fields of dawn and the forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two
Through all of my life
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you
@wasofan100
I had been introduced to the music of Bill Evans by a jazz bassist friend of mine in Tewkesbury, UK. I was off to the USA for the first time for a three week holiday. My friend had tasked me with finding as many albums of Bill with Scott La Faro as they were nigh impossible to get in the UK. I travelled across the USA during 3 weeks and called into record stores building my collection of vinyl. The suitcase was becoming seriously heavy. On my last night in the States, there was a female jazz pianist playing in the basement bar of my hotel so I went down to listen. I got into conversation with two guys at the bar. One was the pianist's boyfriend and they left when she finished her set. The other guy asked what I'd like to do on my final night in the States. I said go to a jazz club. He suggested we go outside and go through yellow pages in the phone booths. I took A to J and he did K to Z. He finished first, every one saying closed or not responding, it was a Monday. I was getting the same result and then The Halfnote Club said "Yeah man we're open 'til 2.00am". I asked "who's playing?", the man said "The Bill Evans Trio" I nearly fell on the floor! When we got to the club I sat at the bar a bit out of breath and the black guy sitting next to me asked what the problem was and I told him this story. He said he would introduce me to Bill when he finished the piece he was playing. Turns out the black guy was Oliver Jackson!! Bill played "What are you doing the rest of your life" for me. Not only that but after the set he came over to us and told me how to get in touch with Helen Keane, his agent and she would guide me to the nearest record store to get the remaining albums I needed. When I rang her in the morning she sent me to a store and they already had the albums packed and waiting for me!!! So not only a fantastic pianist but a real gent who took the trouble to help a fan out. A memory I have treasured since 1973.
'
@meliashell7621
Great experience!
@trees1702
Wonderful story, amazing you got to meet Bill Evans!
@stepan8175
Wow, just wow....
@elnur.hicaz80
RIP kind teacher Bill Evans 🙏
@karladavila7509
I was deeply touched by this, thank you
@inesakhachatryan1289
I have been introduced to Evans' music, by a wonderful jazz musician with beautiful soul who has changed a lot in my life. Every time listening to Bill Evans I remember him, and there is no better feeling than this
@SkaterJames760
I wanna thank J Dilla for bringing me here. I Belong here with the rest of the people that have love for this type of music.
@djmsup
RIP Jaydee. RIP Bill.
@Eddsucks
What the fuck, I love j dilla and Bill. Was coming here to sample it and found out Dilla beat me to it. What a guy. Rip to both of em