Treasures - Solo, Trio & Orchestral Records from Denmark (1965-69)

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Treasures is kind of like four mini-albums in one: You get a taste of Evans in a pickup trio, another with him and one of his most reliable collaborators, a suite for orchestra, and then an excellent solo set.

Handpicked Selection – Includes eight carefully chosen recordings that represent the pinnacle of Bill Evans’ musicianship. While the ’60s and ’70s were a time of rupture in jazz, with the rise of free improv and fusion, Evans mostly worked within relatively narrow parameters—acoustic post-bop played with trios, some solos, a few duos, an occasional date with a larger band.

If Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue is the most common entry point for a new jazz fan and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme is number two, a typical next step would be an album by Bill Evans.

Eddie Gomez was the longest serving bassist of any Bill Evans Trio (1966–77), and Marty Morell a longstanding member too (1968–75), so it’s interesting to hear them performing with Evans relatively early on. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). The beautifully designed package includes previously unpublished photos, insightful liner notes and interviews. Not quite the epic versions of Nardis of Evans’s latter years (which could stretch to twice that length) but perhaps an indicator of what was to come.

An official Elemental Music release in collaboration with the Bill Evans Estate, 'Treasures' is a 'holy grail' discovery culled from the private collection of Norwegian jazz musician Ole Matthiessenand released for the very first time as a 2CD limited-edition in deluxe packaging. Evans’ left hand takes a similar approach to ‘Re: Person I Knew’, doubling as a rhythmic and progressively harmonic device.

Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience.desc": true, "time": 1676926485964, "blocks": [{"id": "CyobqgXBna", "data": {"text": " Treasures is a 3LP set of never-before-released live recordings by jazz piano icon Bill Evans insolo, trio and orchestral performances from the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, television and radio broadcasts in Denmark in the mid-to-late 1960s, 180g vinyl - triple gatefold sleeve"}, "type": "paragraph"}, {"id": "Kvke-x8Dd6", "data": {"text": "An official Elemental Music release in collaboration with the Bill Evans Estate, Treasures is a 'holy grail' discovery culled from the private collection of Norwegian jazz musician Ole Matthiessen and released for the very first time as a limited-edition 180-gram 3LP deluxe set. These recordings capture the trios at the height of Evans’s foray into leading a trio that listened and responded to each other rather than the supportive musicians leaning back and accompanying the piano. Treasures is truly a ’holy grail’ discovery being released for the very first time as a limited-edition, 180g 3LP set. Treasures is a feast for the ears and can serve as either a reminder of or an introduction to Evans’s musical depth and vision.

Come Rain or Shine’ opens with a piano flourish so alive one almost doesn’t care whether the main melody ever arrives. The first indicator that this collection is worth investing in is the packaging: either a triple-gatefold double CD with a 56-page booklet, or a limited-edition triple LP on 180g vinyl. But Treasures: Solo, Trio and Orchestra Recordings from Denmark (1965-1969) is just getting started. In summary, it’s much more than a ‘completists only’ package – Evans fans will find plenty of interest, but so too will anyone with even just a passing interest in Evans and the possibilities of the piano trio. The pianist was starting to think more ambitiously and expansively during the mid-1960s, culminating in the lush ‘orchestral suite’ here from 1969, arranged by Palle Mikkelborg, which sees Bill again in an outgoing mood; it's great, but there's not enough Evans.NHØP and the two drummers each swing beautifully behind him, making these two of the most satisfying Evans trios I have ever heard. Mikkelborg’s string arrangements are probably too romantic (or cloying – take your pick) for modern tastes but the big-band arrangements work well, showing Mikkelborg’s indebtedness to Gil Evans – especially on the titular track Treasures, where Mikkelborg’s muted trumpet sounds like a homage to the then very recent Miles Davis / Gil Evans collaborations of 1957–68. And Evans fans may also be tempted by the earlier Elemental release Behind The Dikes – The 1969 Netherlands Recordings, which also is available in 2-CD or 3-LP format plus booklet.