If you don't want to track down every Bill Evans album after seeing this, you're not human. Talking heads, music, rinse repeat. But that's all you need here because the music says it all.
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jellopuke19 September 2020
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As a recent jazz fan who wanted to learn more about Bill Evans, I purchased this on Reelhouse and it was worth every penny I paid. This document does a fabulous job of capturing the haunting beauty of Bill Evan's music by exploring the live of the man who created it. It contains extensive interviews with those who knew him, who had the pleasure - or sometimes painful experience - of working with him or being close to him. Family members, former members of the various incarnations of The Bill Evans Trio, fellow musicians and friends/significant others provide candid interviews that paint a portrait of a man who was both gifted with great talent, and cursed by his own set of demons. If you're a big Bill Evans fan, general jazz fan, or a music lover who's wanting to learn more about one of the great American composers of the 20th century, this documentary is a must-see. Highly recommended!
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leftbanker-17 January 2021The best time to watch this documentary is on a cold, wet, winter day on the Mediterranean when you are basically confined to your home, sitting in your warm study with breaks from the film to sit down on your piano to channel Bill Evans.
I had listened to Bill Evans. Everyone knew Kind of Blue, of course. His earlier trio work was great, but I loved The Tony Bennet - Bill Evans Album from 1975. In my opinion, this was Bennet's finest recording, by far. This album steered me to Bill Evans and I listened intently to his trio work. Before I hadn't given him too much notice, preferring Oscar Peterson, Monk, and Errol Garner before I jumped into the future with Herbie Hancock and George Cables.
Look for this video on YouTube (there is a brief clip of it in the film): Bill Evans Trio - Rome 1979 - The Two Lonely People Bill Evans - Piano Marc Johnson - Bass Joe LaBarbera - Drums
Ugh. His personal life was a total train wreck. Bill Evans, junkie husband and father to two children. WTF? It's so tragic and sad and infuriating that he wasted so much talent on his love affair with drugs while so many of us would chop off our left foot (not much pedal action with the left) to have a fraction of his talent. Imagine if he had lived another ten, twenty, or even thirty years. Oscar Peterson was sill going at it when he was 80.