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.
Witchcraft
Bill Evans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That sly come hither stare
That strips my conscience bare
It's witchcraft
And I've got no defense for it
The heat is too intense for it
What good would common sense for it do
'Cause it's witchcraft, wicked witchcraft
And although, I know, it's strictly taboo
When you arouse the need in my
My heart says yes indeed in me
Proceed with what your leading me to
It's such an ancient pitch
But one I wouldn't switch
'Cause there's no nicer witch than you
In "Witchcraft," a classic song by jazz pianist Bill Evans, the singer is under the spell of a seductive lover who possesses magical powers. In the first verse, the singer describes the physical effects of being touched by this lover's fingers and the "come hither" look in their eyes. Although he knows what is happening to him, he feels powerless to resist, as his "conscience" is laid bare.
In the chorus, he describes the phenomenon as "witchcraft," a term that has both supernatural and metaphorical connotations. Although the singer acknowledges that the relationship is forbidden ("strictly taboo"), he cannot help but be drawn in by the intensity of the attraction. He considers the possibility that his desire might be irrational, but concludes that there is simply "no nicer witch than you."
Overall, the lyrics of "Witchcraft" capture the singer's sense of being under the spell of a charismatic, unattainable lover who he cannot resist. Through vivid descriptions of the physical and emotional impact of this attraction, he paints a picture of a relationship that defies logic and common sense.
Line by Line Meaning
Those fingers in my hair
I am being touched sensually and seductively.
That sly come hither stare
I am being looked at in a way that causes me to feel allured and drawn in irresistibly.
That strips my conscience bare
My desires are being awakened and I feel exposed, vulnerable, and open to anything.
It's witchcraft
This type of attraction is magical, almost supernatural.
And I've got no defense for it
I am helpless and cannot resist the spell of this attraction, no matter how hard I try.
The heat is too intense for it
The physical and emotional sensations of being enchanted are too overwhelming and cannot be ignored.
What good would common sense for it do
Rational thought and logic cannot stop the powerful allure of this attraction.
'Cause it's witchcraft, wicked witchcraft
The irresistible and magical attraction is beyond my control and is almost sinful or taboo.
And although, I know, it's strictly taboo
I am aware of the social disapproval of this type of attraction, but I cannot control my feelings.
When you arouse the need in my
You are able to stir up a longing in me.
My heart says yes indeed in me
My feelings are so strong that my heart is telling me to give in and pursue this attraction.
Proceed with what your leading me to
I am letting myself be led down a path of temptation and desire.
It's such an ancient pitch
This type of attraction has been around for ages; it is a familiar and timeless feeling.
But one I wouldn't switch
Despite its potential consequences or social disapproval, I would not want to give up this type of attraction.
'Cause there's no nicer witch than you
The temptation you offer is irresistible and I cannot resist your spell.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CAROLYN LEIGH, CY COLEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kylekotula7266
My favorite song of this entire album!
@feedbackband7688
Scott Lafaro's bass solo intro just catapults the songs!
@nestortorres9850
PORTRAIT IN JAZZ es uno de los principales álbumes de la extensa discografía del pianista BILL EVANS. Y, naturalmente, del período que estuvo junto al extraordinario contrabajista SCOTT LA FARO.. Una "joya", en el amplio sentido del término y la confirmación de que el jazz es un "lenguaje musical" en el que la inspiración de los músicos juega un rol importante.... y ese día, década de los años sesenta del siglo pasado, EVANS, LA FARO y MOTIAN estaban inspirados, y el resultado fue un ¡disco notable. .
@javierazmat4498
Pura belleza!
@pablosop
Anduve buscando esta canción mucho años, no sabía quien era el compositor y la encontré a puras pistas.
@handdancin
scott lefaro supporting has got to feel like you can do no wrong
@andrewcruz7595
Good stuff 👌
@Jplent1
A lot better than "good."
@magentuspriest
Hippest shit Bill played
@steveknows62
What jazz piano is all about