BILL EVANS (PIANO) — Portrait In Jazz (review)

BILL EVANS (PIANO) — Portrait In Jazz album cover Album · 1960 · Cool Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
dreadpirateroberts
A showcase of interpretation.

Swinging and cool, though mostly swinging here on 'Portrait in Jazz', there's a welcome snap to Evans' playing that is often surpassed by his sensitivity, both as a interpretive player and as a composer. A trio set, the album features Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums, allowing Evans to strip many of the standards back and make piano the chief focus of the melodies and solos, though his bandmates certainly deserve credit for contributing to the arrangements, even if the stop/start approach is a little overused at times.

For me, his previous album 'Everybody Digs Bill Evans' is actually superior to this, the more popular of the two, but 'Portrait' is by no means a weak album. His version of 'When I Fall in Love' is beautiful and 'Autumn Leaves' or 'What is This Thing Called Love' show that Evans rarely missteps when working with the songs of other composers.

However, it's his gentler moments that sell it for me, with a stand out version of his song 'Blue in Green' first heard on Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue' just a few months earlier. Evans becomes a wonderful mix of rhythm and lead, chiming away in a soothing manner that achieves both understatement and melodic heights.

One of Bill Evans' best regarded releases, though overall not every piece feels essential, it's still worth hearing for fans of cool jazz, as few can play it as cool as Evans.
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