Name: Moon Beams
Brand: Bill Evans

Tax rate EU

Default:19

Supplier EU

Rough Trade UK

Total Cap

Format detail

180g heavyweight gatefold sleeve.

Colour details

Discogs ID

Limited edition

Colour

Black

Format Music EU

Extended format

Extended format: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Download code

Download code: No

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Release date

2017-12-08

Format multiplier

Catalogue number

DOL877HG

UPC / Barcode

889397218775

Black LP

Artist

Bill Evans

Label EU

Doxy

Genre EU

Jazz

William John Evans, better known as Bill Evans, was an American jazz pianist, composer, and artist. Born on August 16, 1929 in Plainfield, New Jersey, he became one of the most famous and influential jazz pianists of the 20th century. With his innovative use of impressionist harmony and unique interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, Evans left a lasting impact on generations of musicians.

Evans' distinct style was characterized by his rhythmically independent and "singing" melodic lines. His contributions to the world of jazz music were unparalleled. Throughout his career, he showcased his immense talent as a composer and performer.

Tragically, Bill Evans passed away on September 15, 1980 in New York City at the age of 51. Despite his untimely death, his legacy lives on through his timeless recordings and continued influence on contemporary keyboardists and jazz saxophonists.

Doxy is a Russian bootleg label that specializes in vinyl reissues. They have also launched the Dig-A-Log Series, which focuses on album reissues on vinyl and includes a bonus CD of the album. In addition, they have introduced a new line called ACV, using clear-native co-polymer for their vinyl process to reduce electrical distortion on records. Doxy's catalog includes CDs and boxsets.

The original Bill Evans Trio, featuring Bill on piano, Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums, was on the verge of greatness when tragedy struck. In July 1961 LaFaro was killed in a car accident, an event that took an enormous emotional toll on Evans, who withdrew from all work for nearly a year as he struggled to come to terms with the loss of his musical counterpart. When he eventually reconvened in the studio in May 1962 with Chuck Israels as a replacement bassist, it was to record Moon Beams, something of a ballad collection. It has been said that there was a certain irony in recording such a collection; the material is so natural for Bill Evans, particularly with his trademark impressionistic sound collage style, yet he had never sounded quite so assertive on a recording. It was almost as though that with the loss of LaFaro and an obvious counterpoint within the group, Evans now had to lead the trio on his own. One thing Bill Evans had done ever since he departed Miles Davis group in order to form his own trio was choose superb material, and Moon Beams is no exception. His own compositions both open and close the album, with Re: The Person I Knew, which might appear to an homage to LaFaro but is in fact an anagram of the name of the albums producer (Orrin Keepnews, although with a switch in tense to know rather than knew) being joined by Very Early, something of a waltz. No doubt a difficult album for Bill Evans to record, in light of LaFaros untimely death, Moon Beams was a startling return to recording and a major advancement in his development as a leader.

Moon Beams

Music EU

Discover Moon Beams by Bill Evans on vinyl from Doxy. A ballad collection showcasing Evans' assertive piano style after a tragic loss.