Search - Bill Evans :: Quiet Now: Never Let Me Go

A Gentle, Intimate Ambience

MikeG | England | 04/09/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The aim of this 'compilation' album seems to be twofold: to showcase Evans's playing at its more gentle and lyrical and to present him in solo, duet and overdubbed settings, drawing upon a range of material from the Verve catalogue. So all the pieces here are at slow tempo, and none represents him in the setting for which he is best known - in a trio with bass and drums. For me, the high spot is the solo exploration of "Never Let Me Go"- possibly the longest slow ballad performance by Evans on record. You must judge for yourself whether there is enough in the theme and its chord sequence to sustain sufficient variation and interest over 14 minutes. But it's an affecting tune and Evans draws out its emotional implications with his usual sensitivity, and his concentration never flags. "A Time for Love" (from the same album: `Bill Evans Alone') is in the same quietly lyrical vein. Both pieces are beautifully played and recorded. Denny Zeitlin's ballad, "Quiet Now" (from `Jazz at Montreux') is given a committed, moving performance which makes it one of the best tracks in this selection, even if the recording quality gives the piano a shallower tone with a rather metallic edge. I'm not a fan of Evans's over-dubbing albums. Listening to the two pieces from `Conversations With Myself', for example, I feel that three simultaneous piano tracks is at least one too many, producing a 'cluttered' sound which deters rather than encourages close listening. But there are Evans enthusiasts who rate that album very highly and who would probably regard "Love Theme from Spartacus" and "Round Midnight" as two of its best tracks. "The Shadow of Your Smile" (from `Further Conversations'), seems to me to work more successfully as an overdubbed piece: Evans has some fresh ideas on a pretty 1970s standard, and because there are only two pianos rather than three the ear more readily picks up on some thoughtful interplay between the two 'pianists', helped by the way in which on one stereo channel Evans plays quite close to the tune in a chorded style while on the other he improvises some nicely contrasted single note lines. "Emily", from the same album, begins with a similarly wistful charm but then picks up the pace to become the most swinging piece on the disc. This track is also an overdubbed performance - not, as the CD sleeve states, a piano solo. "Turn Out the Stars" and "Angel Face" are from the second of the Evans-Jim Hall duo albums (`Intermodulation') and although they are slow and reflective like the rest of the material in this selection, Hall's guitar adds a welcome contrast of tone colour. For the more casual buyer wanting a sample of Evans's playing at slow tempos this CD could be a useful introduction. Apart from anything else, it enables you to try his overdubbed playing before buying one of the `Conversations' albums. Although it's not at all a representative selection - particularly as it overlooks his trio work - its gentle, intimate ambience is certainly appealing and there's a lot to enjoy - especially if you respond more favourably than I do to the 3-piano overdubbed tracks."