The Universal Mind Of Bill Evans

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From the jazzpages personal archives, I bring you the intriguing documentary 'The Universal Mind Of Bill Evans'. Several years ago, Rhapsody released a 21-minute video called 'Bill Evans On The Creative Process', a badly edited reduction of a 1966 TV program introduced by Steve Allen, the first host of the now famous 'Tonight Show'. This short film is a restoration of the original 45-minute telecast. Here is Evans, his hair slicked back, his terrible teeth uncapped, a cigarette waving in the air, in intense conversation with his composer brother Harry Evans (a professor of music at Louisiana State University) on the nature of creativity in jazz.

This documentary features in-depth discussion of Evans' internal process of song interpretation, improvisation, and repertoire. Through demonstration on the piano, Bill uses the song 'Star Eyes' to illustrate his own conception of solo piano and how to interpret and expand upon the melody and underlying chord structure.

Onstage, Evans was famously reticent about speaking, but here he's surprisingly, stirringly provocative.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• The
• Universal
• Mind
• of
• Bill
• Evans
• 1966
• Jazz
• Piano

[rickstolk]

You're welcome!

[MarkEisenman]

@willshakeyou

In case you were being facetious.....the "dude" at the beginning practically INVENTED late night television. Ever hear of the Tonight Show? Well he was the first host! Before Conan O'Brian, Leno, Carson, Parr, . AND he was hip enough to feature jazz musicians on live TV when no one else would even think of doing that. In fact, no one even thinks of doing that NOW.

[FarewellAhead]

Great,Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dayfornight73]

Fabulous! Thanks for the up.

[radiokid2]

Totally stunning!

BTW- Steve Allen also had Art Tatum on his show....now we're lucky to get Lady Gaga or Dave Sanborn!

[LaNoire27]

Thank you so much for this!!! Just want to say that this is a haunting

excerpt, as the two brothers died only a year or two apart from each

other. Has anyone read 'How My Heart Sings'? Its the biography of Bill

Evans. Its a really good book that provides detailed insight into his life

and those closest to him. I've been a Bill Evans fan since I was 16, when

I discovered him on the 1996 Encarta World Encyclopedia disc. Again

thank you for posting this, as I love Bill Evans.

[MrBassflute]

Incredible, thank God for Steve Allen for creating and preserving this, and thank you very much for posting it. Essential listening for every who is serious about music.

[davidobrienii]

God bless you man for posting this.

[ehanbameh1]

Thank you rickstolk for posting the full version of this wonderful video. May I dare to say that this video defines music in general and I hope there's more mainstream musicians who pursue the truth.

[giangobongo89]

@Izicanplay take it easy...

[revronep]

I wish I could play like Bill's "B" section- ha! (Or even his "A" section)

[fknchino]

absolutely breathtaking 40:00