Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Nice, nice, nice. August 15, 2008
A really nice album from Elaine. She handles Bill's tunes with great touch and feeling, but with her own personality. The only negative I have is that I wish she had included more of Bill's tunes and less Brazil. But, overall a wonderful addition to anyone's jazz piano collection.
 ELIANE ELIAS August 10, 2008
WHAT A TALENT! A GREAT SINGER, AND A FABULOUS JAZZ PIANIST ALSO - MOVE OVER DIANA KRALL!!
One of the best tributes to Bill Evans July 31, 2008
There are two tributes that I highly recommend for Bill Evans fans. One is by Paul Motian simply titled Bill Evans with Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, and Marc Johson. And the other is this release by Elaine Elias. Elias weaves through a nice mix of three Evans originals rarely heard plus several standards, such as But Not For Me. It was also very nice to hear certain songs with lyrics, such as Detour Ahead. I loved the precision which Bill Evans played this song. It was especially nice to hear the song to both music and words. Elias also sounds really close to Bill Evans on some of the slower cuts. Overall, this is an extremely nice CD. I just wished I could have heard RE: Person I Knew which was released only on the Japanese version of this CD.
Another great album June 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Even though I'm not crazy about her voice, she does a credible job on the few numbers in this album that have vocals. All the songs, however, are wonderful instrumentals. She plays a great jazz piano and has really fine musicians to back her. I enjoyed her song selection, too.
Carefully planned, professionally produced, well played. May 21, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
Although the urgency and intensity prove elusive, Bill Evans' harmonies, voicings, and taste come through on several selections, including the title song (a previously unreleased composition by the late pianist), "Minha," "I Love My Wife," "For Nenette," "Evanesque," and Elias' own "After All." Otherwise, this is one of those smooth, relaxing, well-produced albums (increasingly rare for jazz releases by big American labels) that at times threatens to disappear into the background (ironically, a charge that Bill had to deal with through much of his career). Elias has a full and sultry singing voice along with a charming accent, but its placement (low tenor range) is not particularly well-suited to "Waltz for Debby" (the trio at least freshens it a bit by taking it in 4/4 most of the way).
Especially with Marc Johnson (Evans' last bassist) on the date, it would have been interesting to hear more of the Evans repertoire from his last 18 months ("Nardis," "Turn Out the Stars," possibly even a vocal transcription of "Your Story" entitled "My Story"). The recording concludes with a final taped segment of Evans' own playing which, as atrocious as the audio quality is, should suggest why his was an all but unapproachable talent.
On several numbers Johnson plays the bass of Scott LaFaro (who died less than a month after the seminal Village Vanguard sessions). As has been the case for the past several decades, the recorded sound of bass--while full, encompassing, and very present--tends to be lacking in "character," or "personality." It used to be easy on a blindfold test, even apart from solos, to identify the recorded sound of a Mingus, Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Sam Jones or Scotty LaFaro. Not just on the Riverside recordings but on some of the dates for Contemporary Records with Hampton Hawes and Harold Land, LaFaro's playing is gutty, ringing, and clearly defined. The equipment was comparatively primitive (an analog tape recorder and a mic placed in front of a bass without a pick-up), but its effectiveness, as the evidence frequently shows, was inarguable. By comparison, this recording (and practically every current recording that isn't a reissue) makes the rhythm section sound highly competent but also generic.
(For me this is a 3-star recording, but I can readily see the appeal of this 16-song album to many listeners, so we'll split the difference. For those interested in women tributes to Bill Evans, also check out Tierney Sutton's tribute to Bill as well as the 2-3 albums on which Ellyn Rucker both plays and sings Evans songs.)
|
