Search - Bill Evans :: Symbiosis

Third stream classic!

markandersenmusic | Babylon, New York United States | 02/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is really amazing. Claus Ogermann's compositions and arranging are top notch, and the music touches on some of Evans' past piano work with George Russell and Miles Davis. The 2nd movement's track 4 is truly one of my favorite Bill Evans performances. The space he creates while playing with such stark emotion is simply breathtaking. The cd as a whole sounds great, and all of the pieces are excellent. The 2nd movement is more what Evans was exploring at the time, very introspective, while the 1st movement reminds me of the George Russell albums that Evans played a prominent role on. Also, this trio of his is really shortchanged by a lot of people. Eddie Gomez and Marty Morrell are simply fantastic on this cd. I would put this cd in my top 5 Bill Evans albums of all time!!"

Maybe the best piece of music no one's heard of.

markandersenmusic | 05/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first stumbled across this album in the mid '70s while in college. I was ecstatic to find it available now on CD. The melding of Bill Evans' impeccable piano and keyboard interpretations with the innovative orchestration (basically a classic orchestra plus jazz rhythm section and winds) produced a work of art I've never tired of listening to. Claus Ogermann's score is at times mesmerizing, and the final climax and release is as satisfying as any work of music I can think of. The only negative I can cite is a few slightly sloppy passages in the wind instruments, but really only to the degree that it feels like a live performance (i.e. not significant enough for me to give less than a 5-star rating)."

Symbiosis Indeed

William Douglas Shaw | College Station, TX USA | 05/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This neglected work was one I heard just after high school in the mid-1970's. I fell in love with it then, as I was already a huge fan of Bill Evans. What I did not forsee was the integration of the wonderful score and orchestral arrangments by Claus Ogerman and Evans' playing, including long passages on the Fender Rhodes electric piano. I had thought of the Rhodes as a "fusion" instrument, where fusion implies rock + jazz, but this is more classical music + jazz = Symbiosis! I lost the vinyl record but just got the CD through Amazon. Unfortunately there are no liner notes, so other than knowing it is the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, I don't know who is playing bass and drums. If you know, please post a message, ok?"