Track Listings (10) - Disc #1| All Artists: John Lewis Title: Evolution II Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: Warner Music France Release Date: 1/16/2001 Album Type: Import Genres: Jazz, Pop Styles: Cool Jazz, Bebop Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC: 075678331329 |
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Search - John Lewis :: Evolution II
 | John Lewis Evolution II Genres: Jazz, Pop
When vibraphonist Milt Jackson passed away in 1999, the Modern Jazz Quartet's nearly half-century career ended. Pianist-composer John Lewis, the MJQ's co-founder and musical director, released a sublime solo piano CD, Evol... more » |
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Amazon.com When vibraphonist Milt Jackson passed away in 1999, the Modern Jazz Quartet's nearly half-century career ended. Pianist-composer John Lewis, the MJQ's co-founder and musical director, released a sublime solo piano CD, Evolution, just before Jackson died. And Evolution II is Lewis's first post-MJQ project, the second of the three-CD series in which he revisits several of his classic compositions. Lewis performs in a Kansas City-style quartet setting with the articulate drummer Lewis Nash, guitarists Howard Collins and Howard Alden, and bassists George Mraz and Marc Johnson. Lewis's timeless elegy "Django" starts here with a new intro, which segues into a streamlined piano solo, which melds into its trademarked melody. The bouncy beat of "The Festivals" is a dancing retake of Lewis's "In a Crowd," and "December, Remember" recalls the sacred sonorities of "In Memoriam." With "Come Rain or Come Shine," Lewis's spare, lyrical pianism comes to the fore, and his wonderful "One of Parker's Moods" elaborates on his magnificent 1948 piano solo on a classic piece of Bird's blues, "Parker's Mood." This spontaneous, crystalline collection leaves us anticipating John Lewis's next stage of evolution, just as it reminds us why the MJQ had such lasting power. --Eugene Holley Jr. Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsEasy on the Ears! William A. Adams | Bainbridge Island, WA USA | 02/22/2001 (4 out of 5 stars) "I bought both Evolution I and II and listened to I a few times before II. Evolution I is austere, more difficult (and perhaps more rewarding). By comparison, the trio format of EII makes it swing; it is "easy on the ears." There is plenty of subtlety and complex innovation in EII. Lots of humor. Numerous quotations.Never repetitive, always surprising. After hearing EI I realized that Lewis' style is more than spare, it is almost staccato, but in EII the trio, especially the bass, unites his expressions so he seems more smooth than he really is. His re-make of Django is just amazing, although Milt Jackson is still in it (in my head). The sound quality is not up to perfection: Several notes have fuzz on them, though it is not a serious problem overall." Spare yet Thorough Playing Mark Lebow | MILWAUKEE, WI USA | 02/19/2001 (5 out of 5 stars) "The genius of this album is John Lewis' spare, economical, yet thorough playing. There are no extended riffs or flourishes, just the compositions as written, no more and no less. It is this economy of playing that makes this album truly unique and enjoyable. I own many piano jazz CD's, but certainly nothing with playing such as this!" Come rain or come shine? shine 's coming now! JEAN-MARIE JUIF | BESANCON France | 04/02/2001 (4 out of 5 stars) "80 years old john lewis gave us two great records in a few months.Evolution I is for sure a treasury of jazz piano;and even if Evolution II doesn't reach the stratospheric level of volume 1,there are few of piano players who gave us such perfect and swinging music to listen to.Of course,the guitars of Howard Alden and Howard Collins are very sober; but there are great versions of classics like "Trieste","Django","Parker's mood" and great blues playing on "Cain and Abel".This session is easier to listen to than Evolution I,but there is magnificent piano playing here.If one of your favorite valours in music is the art of silence and economy,you'll treasure this record."
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