The Longest Suicide In History: Documentary On The Life Of Jazz Pianist Bill Evans
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- Опубліковано 24 лис 2023
- Who was jazz pianist Bill Evans and why is his life described as the longest suicide in history by his friends? Listeners have said that his music was "dreamlike". Did you know he worked with Miles Davis on "kind of blue"?
The making of "Kind of Blue: • Miles Davis's Kind of ...
Miles Davis Documentary: • Jazz Trumpeter Miles D...
onetrackjazz Playlist - • Jazz Legend Biographies
Scott Lafaro Biography: • Scott Lafaro: He playe...
Green Dolphin Street by Bill Evans (Audio CD): amzn.to/3QntWGa
Bill Evans Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961: amzn.to/4bbXI92
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#billevans #jazzpianist #jazz #billevansdocumentary #billevansbiography #jazzpiano #pianojazz #billevansportraitinjazz #milesdavis #dizzygillespie #kindofblue #billevanspiano #billevanstrio #timeremem #billevansbillevans #billevanswaltzfordebby - Розваги
This is a jazz biography channel, but many of my viewers ask in the comments, "What's the name of that background music?" So, I decided to compile three of my most used pieces in a video ua-cam.com/video/yYdgXiZTm0k/v-deo.html. Also some of most watched videos are in the comments. Enjoy and thanks for watching!
On my favorite acid trip, a friend played Bill Evans, and I stopped in my tracks, I just sat down. It was really quite beautiful.
I love how you said, "my favorite acid trip" I can totally relate. Good times!
I had a similar experience, my buddy and were on mushrooms, just laying on the floor in our stuffy Brooklyn apt, completely transfixed on the music. It’s a wonderful memory that I revisit every time I listen to Bill Evans.
@@jenniferbraud6750 Music + Psychedelics = Heaven
A good psychedelic experience is as close to Heaven as one can get. So many people actually believe that when we die, if we were "good", we get to go there. Heaven and Hell are real, and while we are alive, we can experience both extremes. But when you dead, you done.@@chrismei8580
Same thing happened to me when I heard Blue in Green from Kind of Blue when I was mushrooms years ago. Completely stunned me
Bill was one of the greatest jazz pianists of the last 75 years. His life was tragic and difficult but the legacy of his music will last for a long time. Sorry we lost you too soon Bill, you were the greatest
Bill Evans is one of the most underappreciated artists in music. He should be as known in pop culture as Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. His piano reaches into your soul and makes you feel all sorts of things. Listening to Bill Evans will improve your life and appreciation for all things beautiful in the world. RIP to the greatest!
Even at the age of six he practiced at the piano with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. Now _that_ is commitment to your art.
Smoking cigs = commitment to craft 👏🏾
Or to cigarettes
Just a clear sign of his insecurity
@@raushaxleman
What on earth are you talking about?
A lifetime of addiction & insecurity
@@mesolithicman164
I met/saw Bill Evans on several occasions (in '67 and '72) and was lucky enough to hear him share at least one experience (about getting paid scale for the Riverside albums). He "transcended" classifications, I believe.
An excellent piece of storytelling about one of the most tragic figures in jazz history. His musical legacy remains. There was nobody quite like him.
My favorite artist of all time. Never listened to someone that can be so unabashedly daring while maintaining delicacy, class, nuance, and respect for those who came before him. Listen to “Talking to Myself” to hear him take the gloves off and do things with a piano that are as sacrilegious as they are salient. Listen to the The Solo Sessions if you want to be whisked away by the most tender and intimate musical confessions. Not only a scholar of the game, acolyte of the greats, he was a firecracker able to shed any technical pretense at the drop of a beat.
The unfortunate truth that it often takes the most damaged and weak man to gift the world with the kind of art that transforms hearts and enlightens minds.
I’m not a musician and I’ve never heard of Bill Evans but I’m going out today to buy one of his CD’s. He’s incredible.
You won't regret it. I promise you.
What’s a cd
Touché
Make sure it includes the track: “Peace Piece.” Magnificent, imho.
'you must believe in spring' is my favorite if you're looking for recs
What never gets talked about is Bill Evans 'Black activism' and anti-racism. Drummer Jimmy Cobb spoke briefly about this before he left us in 2020. Bill Evans is a hero in the music and outside of the music.
Sam Cooke' s too. Racists and cowards ignore Blackness. House vs Field!
@@dfasht1304 Who are these people that treated Bill Evans with racist hate that he gave so much to? He stood up for Miles Davis when he was physically bloodied and assaulted by people like yourself. I highly recommend you do some research before running your mouth.
@@dfasht1304 Had you said this to Bill backstage, he would have punched you square in the mouth. Bill had a short fuse. This is well-documented.
@@breakfastplan4518 Yup. And after eating bill's punch, im sure he would have gone down faster than a Thai Hooker. XD
@@percyvolnar8010"People like yourself?" Who's running his mouth now, you sanctimonious bigot?
The most famous graduate Southeastern Louisiana University ever produced by a mile. His recordings and live performances are simply brilliant. 👈
As a 30.year Heroin and Cocaine user l understant the stuggle .I always said lf l make it to 50 lll quit everything .5 years clean and sober.
Good deal. I got clean in 94 after only 6 years of use. It was rough. There is never enough money or dope.
@@litedawg So True lite dawg
You just can’t duplicate what he had. His most enduring quality was his sensitivity. I wish I was old enough to have met him.
He was my favorite pianist. This video had stories that I was unaware of. His playing style was really melodic, and soothing. Great video
I Love Bill Evans and his music. Thx for the video
The greatest jazz pianist of them all; absolute genius.
My favorite piano player of all time.
RIP Bill Evans
-Matt’s dad
I am shedding tears of joy and sadness throughout this presentation.
That was a wonderful summation of Bill Evans’s career. Thank you very much..
Thanks man, great vid. A funny thing about art and suffering, they often follow an almost predetermined outcome... that initial impetus towards perfection is a killer!
The best. Bill's playing was incredibly complex, yet accessible.
Great storytelling (and narration voice!) Love Bill’s playing… Miles’s description of it quoted here is perfect 👌
ive experienced many musical styles and mentalities over the years and its been about 7 years since my obsession with solo jazz piano, but no musician I have ever listened to has touched my heart and soul as much as Bill.
A legendary jazz pianist indeed. Many thanks for your efforts in putting this together.
I am so grateful to learn about this brilliant artist. What a tragic life. Heartbreaking. I will buy his cd and give as gifts to all i know. Thank you
This was so cool and informative. Thank you. I came up being influenced by blues after recognizing early on that it was at the heart of the rock bands I liked. As I grew and continued to grow, I saw that jazz was something else, entirely, and respectfully attempt to tentatively delve into it. Videos like this one keep my willingness to try alive. Thank you.
Interesting, Informative, Respectful & an excellent profile documentary.
Then there was Scott Lafaro's death hitting Evans hard and the stories of Bill injecting into his own hands instead of his arm. You can sometimes see how swollen his hands were in old footage of Bill playing. You should do one on Chet Baker. Talk about addiction and a career suicide!
Ditto Art Pepper
At least Chet had a late life resurgence
@@seanhennessey9869 True. But he had a grisly death with the head trauma. Horrible photo.
ART PEPPER
@@nunyabidnez7857have you read his book about his prison time ? Wow !
Thanks so much for this.
I'm just getting into listening to jazz and Bill Evans music sounds like something I will really enjoy. Every musical genre has so many different strands and great videos like this help suggest new artists.
Bill Evans is my favorite Jazz pianist. The man was legend and his videos on how to compose and play were some of my first meaningful music lessons. Seeing Chuck Israel play with him on Waltz for Debby taught me to watch other musicians hands when playing and I don't have the music. That and a good ear has gotten me by on many a stage.
I thoroughly enjoyed your tribute to Bill. Incredible talent and musicianship creating great musical art for our minds and souls. Such beautiful work.
Many thanks.
Thank you kindly!
Now I know why I love Bill Evans, thanks for this outstanding bio vid on one of jazz piano's unsung greats.
Devastating. Well and respectfully presented. I knew none of this about Evans, one of the immortal beloved.
I know his music will sound differently, now.
Thank you for bringing this musician to me attention! Beautifully done.
Knowing that a genius like Bill Evans suffered from confidence issues AND is from the next town over from where I grew up made me cry. It was a bittersweet cry though. It made me emotional because I am going through similar feelings currently and a lot of it is just in my head. As a musician and producer we all go through periods of self-doubt, uncertainty, feelings of inadequacy and so on. We have to stop being so hard on ourselves as artists and just create as the universe allows. Bill Evans' contribution to music will never be forgotten. We are all unique individuals who have the ability to connect with others. Thanks so much for making this content.
Let's just say that Bill Evan's intro to Green Dolphin St [Miles' version...Miles didn't write it]......let's say we're aliens and this intro is the only Bill Evans recorded music that survived Betelgeuse going supernova. This cat had a 'touch' on the keyboard that puts him in the pantheon of All Time Great Pianists, and l wish that the best musicians didn't have to be Tortured Geniuses to produce what they produced. Amen.
Wow just found your channel awesome! Looking forward to see your other videos. Please keep it up! 🎉
Bill Evans had a light, lyrical touch that was so beautiful, it made it seem like you could hear the gates of heaven. But like many tragic artists, he died way too young 😢
Rest In Peace Bill Evans 🙏🏾🎹
This is just so cool to learn this education about these Jazz icons! Thank you so much!
I like this kind of jazz, thank you for introducing me to this artist.
Tq for this video .. Evans will be remembered as one of the best composers and pianists
Thanks for sharing. First heard his work with Miles and loved it. Amazing pianist. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
Probably one of the greatest musician of the latest century
Thanks for making that content!
Great mini-documentary. Really impressed with your piece especially your narrative. Nice!
Glad you liked it!
his music quite literally saved me from some of the darkest places in my life. thank you Bill.
Thanks, for this very inclusive and informative bio. You've answered so many questions i had. The creativity of Bill Evans, and his loyalty in owning his brand of exclusive talent is remarkable. I wish i could have witnessed a performance to tell him how worthy he was. The journey was a tough one. His notes were "like a crystal waterfall." The most ironic simile ever. Shame on you Miles, with respect to the royalties, on "Kind of Blue." Bill Evans - You were part grace and all genius. ❤
Thank You!
That was a beautifully written and thoughtful expression of gratitude. Your ability to convey so much depth of perspective and feeling with just a short paragraph was refreshing and enjoyable to read, and in it's own way very musical. Peace
Well said.
There should be a movie biopic on Evan's life and career
@@kennethrussell1158there a film on Bill Evans called Time Remembered
Excellent video on a legendary icon! For anyone getting into Bill Evans and looking for similar pianists, Red Garland was also amazing. They were both Miles Davis alumni
Very interesting and thought provoking presentation. However, please note, John Coltrane, unlike Bill Evans, was not in the rhythm section of the Miles Davis Sextet. Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley were horn players.
Amo la música de Bill Evans .creo fue y es por siempre uno de los más importantes pianistas de la historia .
Bit a jazz neophyte, me. But love watching this as IN my own Neophyte mind(and limited vinyl) I consider Evans part of MY holy jazz triumvirate, along with Miles and Coltrane. Probably due to listening to Kind of Blue so much. His all to brief Trio with LaFaro & Motian solidified it for me.
Learned some things here I didn't know and enjoyed the intermingled images. Look forward to your future videos. Since you Asked for input(most dont unfortunately), I'd welcome you pound the heck out of the Great Era that had Blakey, Peterson, Miles, Adderly, Chambers, LaFaro, Horace Silver, Jimmy Cobb, Paul Desmond, Rudy Van Gelder, Blue Note, Riverside, et al. Easy for me to say😂. But anyway, thank you and carry on🎹🎺🎷🥁
The title should say " The Greatest Pianist Ever" he straight up is one of the best ever to touch the keys
Donovan, Jim Hall and I saw Bill frequently - dinner at each other's homes. I write to include the fact that Bill had a great sense of humor, was a great cook and it troubles me deeply that you chose to highlight his addiction and the painful parts of his life. Jane Hall
Thank you, Mrs Hall. Your perspective is SO valuable. As a jazz musician who is fighting demons of my own, I appreciate your comment. We accomplish what we do DESPITE our challenges not because of them. It's so easy to forget the good for the sake of the bad.
Maybe it's valuable to highlight our faults to make us more human
But really beyond a word of caution, I would prefer if such information stays as private
I'm pretty shocked to have to opportunity (thank you internet!) to talk to a person that was so close with two of my favourite musicians ever, so fro this I just want to thank you just for being: the beautiful music they composed it's also thanks to you.
I'm a 28 years young dude that lives in Italy and i don't know if i'll ever come to the states but I'll be infinetly thank to you if you could bring flowers to Jim on my behalf 💙
All the love, Tito Pietrella.
@@tito_pane then I recommend you come to Palermo, amico mio, for a visit. The jazz here is great and I feel so at home here, one reason being that jazz has such a rich history with so many great ones to have played here.
There are even musicians still alive that played with people like Chet Baker, and still perform here to this day, such as Maestro Gianni Cavallaro
Miles Davis Jazz Club, Tatum Art, and any 10+ places you can hear live jazz in the Centro Historico
Benvenuto 🤘🎷😎
Jane, I’d love to hear more about one of the worlds greatest musicians from your personal perspective. The public, via sources like this one, usually only gets to hear rehashed versions of the dark side of people like Bill. What did he like to talk about? What type of sense of humor? Music his career but did he have many other interests that he shared with his friends? Did he have many friends? I just woke up and hope I’ve made some sense here. Thank you!
@@PatriotSteve agreed 👍 if you do plan to share anything, madam, we would definitely be interested in how our heroes are as people 🙏❤️
A very interesting video sir, and another sad ending to such a talented man
I saw him live at Shelly’s Manne Hole jazz club in Hollywood in the early sixties with Chuck Israel’s and Larry Bunker. He looked very thin and frail and did not look well. The heroin addiction was taking its toll.
That might explain why Orrin Keepnews (his producer at Riverside Records) chose to only release some of the recordings from the gig then.
Such a tremendous talent.
you could radically improve your audio quality by reducing bass in around 200-400Hz by 3dB and reducing 3-16kHz by about 6dB
thanks for the feedback
How do I get a better guitar tone? I want a nice punchy distortion, and I don't want it to sound too thin, but I don't want it to muddy up the mix.
@@themagicminstrels476 well therein lies the difference between equalization and mixing/leveling. To make sure one instrument isn't too overwhelming, the most modern solution is to record each instrument on its own mic and adjust the volume of each track to taste. It's still beneficial for the instruments to be played near each other simultaneously, as they produce non-negligible harmonics in each other (think of it as the sound of lets say a piano causing the guitar to vibrate slightly, adding depth to the sound of the other).
As to your specific question, one option is to get yourself a graphic equalizer (or download one in software, there's many to choose from), and depending on the type of your guitar, your sound and your harmonics line up in different places. the biggest factor will obviously be what key you're playing in, but use the graph that your equalizer gives you to figure out the peaks of the note range you're playing in and adjust each peak's frequency range until you achieve the tone you're looking for. Alternatively, if you're just using a typical acoustic, there will be somebody online who has posted the most prominent peaks of the instrument somewhere and you can piggyback from their work, no shame in that, it's how science works. One of those is bound to be what you're asking for.
@@themagicminstrels476 It also sounds like you're talking about electric guitar, in which case, particularly with distortion effects, you're probably looking for a specific amp style. now, I'm not an avid electric guitar player, and I only own a single one with a single basic amp with overdrive, but I've found that's enough to achieve a wide variety of tones simply by varying gain against volume control. anything more elaborate than that and your best bet is purpose-built hardware that I'm sure an attendant at any guitar store would be happy to help you find.
the audio mixing fairy godmother strikes again 💜
you skipped Scott Lafaro's death... i'm sure it had a huge impact.
Agreed. Lafaro's death hit Evans hard.
A big nail was the loss of motian,his best trio.fell asleep at the wheel like many musicians from late night gigs.new York wasnt a safe haven for music at any time.i saw him at keystone his last gig.loved the keyboarders,tyner,Jamal to name a few.all courtesy of Todd barkans keystone north beach.they all played there.seven days a week,never sold out.walk right up and pay.
It was his bassist, Scott LaFaro that died after falling asleep at the wheel. Paul Motian lived on for decades.
hey great channel, I'm loving the videos. I hope in the future to see some of my favorites that don't get the love they truly deserve, like Andrew Hill, Herbie Nichols, Booker Little or Pee Wee Russell.
I "discovered" the music of Bill Evans about a year ago. Some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. He quickly made my list of favorites along with Lyle Mays, Keith Jarret & Robert Glasper.
His son's name was "Evan Evans" - reminds me of his song "Peace piece"
Shameful he wasn't credited for Kind of Blue. True power is in the shadows!
There should be a movie biopic based on Evan's life.
When I saw the video title, I immediately thought of the late great Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, who went though his own years long suicide. I''ve never heard of Bill Evans, even though I'm over 60. I will now look up Bill Evans for certain. Seems that many of those in creative fields--for all their God-given talent--are simply unable to handle life.
Funny! The Southeastern Louisiana University, at 3:05, looks exactly like the University of Coimbra, in Portugal.😂😂😂
Bill to me is the greatest pianist of all time.
I'm not a fan of jazz, and I know nothing about it, however, I really enjoyed this video.
Not to distract from the focus of the video, but DAMN do you have a cool voice.
Yes, he was one of a kind
Thank God Miles called him for Blue In Green. GOAT.
Merci.
Evans' contribution to Kind of Blue has been grossly underestimated.
Davis was not a generous man.
For the record, Bill's mom was of Ukrainian descent not Russian....there is a difference.
Thanks for the feedback
What might be of real value here is the cultural setting William found himself surrounded with living in the US of A combined with the catalogue of classical material he played in his early years, which is a fine example of something truly cosmopolitan. I mean, Hitler's having Jewish blood didn't seem to help the matter, neither post factum nor at the time. Or am I not supposed to mention any of these things. Do correct me if I'm wrong. Just can't stand musical content being tarnished by the racial/political issues. And, yes, I do culturally appropriate myself
That is completely wrong. His mother Mary Soroka was, yes, of "rusyn" decent but they also say they were orthodox which leavs one to conclude a more eastern and probably more russian connection. But in any case it doesnt matter, ukarine has historically not been a sovreign nation, its been parts of many different borders. They are slavs, they understand eachother. Who cares.
@@vincesoder3284 Totally incorrect, the majority of Ukrainians belong to the Ukrainian Orthidox Church. Russia does not have a monopoly on Orthodoxy, get your facts straight. Kyiv was an established metropolis long before Moscow ever existed. The high jacking of every thing Ukrainian by Russia must stop and facts must be put straight. This Russian thievery has gone on for too long and must be called out at every opportunity.
@@vincesoder3284 Rusyns are also orthodox like most eastern european people russian and non-russian
Weird. No mention of the death of Scott LaFaro and the fact that Evans withdrew for several months
3:05 Talks about a Louisiana Uni but shows a pic of Coimbra Uni in Portugal 😂
It always seems like the greatest people are deeply disturbed...
Wonderful and very moving! Thank you for your work!
Thank you too!
So sad that a great musician like bill evans lived such an unhappy life .untill today i think he is the most influantial jas pianist on jazz pianists .i live in israel yet i was lucky to see and hear bill evans playing in n.y. at the half note club in 1971 i,v never experianced such majick in the air like that performance lets pray that one day there shall be invented a real qure to this drug desease that kills milions of poeple around the world
I don't think it should be called "the longest suicide in history". I mean, he got off heroin and paid his friends back. He survived a while, especially compared to other genius musicians. He went to the hospital when he was feeling that stomach pain and if he had gotten better then he may have gotten off cocaine and stayed clean until he died at some point later. It just seems a little melodramatic to call it the longest suicide in history.
Evans and Monk. Those are my guys.
Terrific bio.
A superb video. Many thanks.
I thought you said post rock piano , not post bop, and thought, sick !
Can you please tell us what music is playing in the background of this video? Thank you.
Forever in my mind by Almost There
Would love to see a Bill Evans bio pic. Feel like Willem Defoe would do a really great job
Fun story: I was at a concert at the Greek and ran into Lisa Coleman from Prince and she confirmed that the synth ending at the end of "Purple Rain" was her and was influenced by Bill Evans "Symbiosis". Listen to both of them back to back and you'll hear it.
such an underrated channel. thank you for the contents!
I appreciate that!
You kinda sound like chris griffin with a deep voice. Also great video!
I wish you wouldn't narrate these videos like they are mob documentaries.
I am 75 and never liked rock and roll. Thought it was played by amateurs. I loved jazz from bebop to big band jazz only. The moment I heard Bill Evans I fell in love with his sound, his touch, his playing, his musicianship. I have all of his albums. I like the early ones the best. His piano music will Never go out of style!!!!
Oh, and don't forget his incredible grund breaking solo on "All About Rosie' FROM THE Birth of the Third Stream album. The great George Russell composition, had many great great musicians. But Bill's solo on the third section, allegro, of this piece was totally out of character for him, very, very muscular and it got him a lot of attentiion from jazz fans. Today, 70 years later, it is still astounding!!!!
Nobody listens to or likes rock and roll because they are master musicians, although that did come later.
Well, I like music and the way it is played. R&R does not.. This is kids music. Not for adults with any sense of what it takes to produce beautiful, timeless music.@@humanbeing5300
Oh my gosh I love ❤️ Rock n Roll, the blues and Jazz rock. Do you like Steely Dan?
Well, my son turned me on to Nirvana. @@wildrover9650 I love Blood SWeat and Tears, but this is in no way R&R. Classical for me begins and ends with Mozart. Even some opera I like. Bossa Nove, Antonio Jobims musicc brilliant, original. There is so jmuch great music out there. I don't need R&R!!!
Thank you - Bill Evans was underrated IMO. He was also mistreated...RIP Bill.
If I had to choose only one musician to listen to for the rest of my life if would be Bill Evans.
Same. The Riverside Recordings are my favorite.
Whoa!!
The great guitarist, Lenny Breau wanted to find a way to make the guitar sound like Evans piano, and he made it happen.
Yes, Lenny was a great talent also. Most people don't know his 7 string guitar was not a lower string in the base but a higher string, a higher string above the E
@intuneorange It was a high A string, I believe. Pat Matheny said that no guitarist will ever play like Lenny again. It is just too hard. What a shame, drugs and lifestyle took them both too soon.
Great info!!!!
woza I did not know this..and this just about made me tear up...I started to listen to Bill Evans some time in the late 90s..all those rock years..But I always liked jazz..I have Bill on my mp 3 player that I bring with me when I RV..its nice Sunday morning..mellow times cooking breakfast and chilling RIP we miss you Bill ps thanks for the research and posting
whats the song playing in the background called??
"Forever in my mind" by Almost There
Pardon my naivete, but what song is underneath the video? It's fantastic.
Forever in my mind by Almost Here
I get asked that question so often that I made a video ua-cam.com/video/yYdgXiZTm0k/v-deo.html
I think it would be great for you to link sources for your information. Also the way only Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson seemed a little strange, as if it is indirectly devaluing other important pianists.
which song was playing at the beginning
"Forever in my mind" by Almost There
It's interesting how famous musicians struggling with a substance use have that framed romantically and sympathetically and their addiction is seen as contributing to their art and suffering. But, let it be someone else, and we treat them like scum.