This blog would not be complete without something about Bill Evans, not only for his prominent role in the history of Jazz and his immensely popular albums, but also because he has been one of the earliest and biggest inspiration for me as a musician.

In the process of transcribing and analyzing my favorite pieces, I usually have a sense of how they work musically, an understanding of the various devices and ideas employed by the artist to generate a certain effect. But with artists like Bill Evans the overall impression I feel is an almost complete mystery, one that overwhelms me and prevents me from probing my way to the core of their art. My guess is that what actually lies at the core of Evans’ art is something that is very hard to explain, let alone transcribe, and that is his sound.

Here is the Bill Evans trio with Eddie Gomez on Bass and Marty Morell on Drums, from a house concert in Helsinki, Finland, 1969, performing their rendition of the Johnny Mandel tune, Emily:

What do I feel when I listen to this music? A cold, stark beauty, a melancholic charm. A sweeping, sad waltz that transcends the inevitable cliché with its sincerity. This performance, and especially this piano intro which I have transcribed, encapsulates some of my favorite things about Evans, and offers much in the way of atmosphere and mood besides the actual musical material. The rubato here is fantastic, and the ideas flow flawlessly. I have heard this intro so many times, and yet playing it now still feels fresh and stimulating. Bill Evans is one of the most extensively transcribed Jazz pianists, so I was happy to find a small undiscovered piece and add my humble contribution to the Evans book with the hopes that you will enjoy and learn from this transcription as much as I have.