Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Bill Evans Records with Cannonball

Donald Macleod focuses on Bill Evans's performances with Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley.

Bill Evans performs alongside Cannonball Adderley

He was called the Poet of the Piano, and the Chopin of Jazz, this week Donald Macleod delves into the life and music of Bill Evans. Although Evans started off in the world of classical music, it wasn't long before he got the Jazz bug. His classical training wasn't wasted though, for it went on to influence the way he performed for the rest of his life. His touch at the piano became legendary, and his preferred ensemble for performing his own compositions, and those by others, was the Jazz trio combining piano, bass and drums. Evans came to prominence when invited to work alongside Miles Davis and, in time, Evans would go on to perform with the likes of Tony Bennett, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, Stan Getz and Monica Zetterlund.

Performing alongside Miles Davis had brought Bill Evans to a much wider audience. Evans soon left the band though, and pursued his own career making a new album called Everybody Digs Bill Evans, which included a new work Peace Piece. Towards the end of the 1950s, things were looking good for Evans, although his addiction to heroin was starting to take its toll. He'd agreed to work with Davis again on the album, Kind of Blue, which included a work by Evans called Blue in Green, although Davis claimed it as his own. By the time Evans was thirty, he was well known, popular, and was soon to form his own historic trio including Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro. They gelled together perfectly, and went into studio to record works such as Autumn Leaves, and Evans's Peri's Scope. This pinnacle of perfection for Evans, though, was short-lived; bassist Scott LaFaro died in a traffic accident shortly afterwards.

1 hour

Music Played

  • Bill Evans

    Epilogue

    Performer: Bill Evans

    • Riverside.
    • OJCCD-068-2.
    • CD1 tk10.
  • Bill Evans

    Peace Piece

    Performer: Jean鈥怸ves Thibaudet.
    • Decca.
    • 4555122.
    • CD1 tk10.
  • Miles Davis

    Blue In Green

    Performers: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chamber, Jimmy Cobb

    • Columbia.
    • CK64935.
    • 3.
  • Bill Evans

    Peri's Scope

    Performers:Bill Evans, Scott LeFaro, Paul Motian

    • Riverside.
    • OJCCD-088-2.
    • 6.
  • Johnny Mercer

    Autumn Leaves

    Composer: Joseph Kosmo. Composer: Jacques Pr茅vert.

    Performers: Bill Evans, Scott LeFaro, Paul Motian

    • Riverside.
    • OJCCD-088-2.
    • 2.
  • Bill Evans

    Re: Person I Knew

    Performers: Bill Evans, Chuck Israels, Paul Motian

    • Riverside.
    • OJCCD-434-2.
    • 1.

Broadcasts

  • Tue 12 Nov 2013 12:00
  • Tue 12 Nov 2013 18:30
  • Tue 15 Nov 2016 12:00
  • Tue 15 Nov 2016 18:30

Vaughan Williams Today

Vaughan Williams Today

Programmes, concerts and features celebrating Vaughan Williams's 150th anniversary.

Beethoven Unleashed 鈥 the box set

Beethoven Unleashed 鈥 the box set

The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems

Composers A to Z

Composers A to Z

Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod鈥檚 best stories from the last 20 years

Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem

What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?

A man out of time 鈥 why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...

The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.

Composer Help Page

Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.