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Moon Beams
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| Moon Beams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1962[2] | |||
| Recorded | May 17 – June 2, 1962 | |||
| Studio | Sound Makers, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 39:00 | |||
| Label | Riverside | |||
| Producer | Orrin Keepnews | |||
| The Bill Evans Trio chronology | ||||
| ||||
Moon Beams is a 1962 album by the jazz musician Bill Evans and the first trio album he recorded after the death of bassist Scott LaFaro. It introduces two important Evans originals, "Re: Person I Knew" (an anagram of the name of his then-producer, Orrin Keepnews), and "Very Early", which Evans had actually composed as an undergraduate.[3] The originals serve as bookends to an album otherwise consisting of standards from the 1930s and 1940s.
Music and releases
[edit]With Chuck Israels on bass taking the place of LaFaro, Evans recorded a number of songs during sessions in May and June 1962. As planned by Keepnews, Moon Beams contains a collection of ballads recorded during this period, whereas the more up-tempo tunes were put on the album How My Heart Sings!, which was not released until 1964.[4] In 2012, Riverside released a newly remastered edition, which includes three previously unreleased alternative takes. Moon Beams and How My Heart Sings! were also released combined as the double album The Second Trio. The woman on the album cover is Nico, who would later achieve recognition as a musical artist herself.
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| DownBeat (Original Lp release) | |
| Allmusic | |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | |
Writing for AllMusic, music critic Thom Jurek said that the "selections are so well paced and sequenced the record feels like a dream. ... Moonbeams was a startling return to the recording sphere and a major advancement in [Evans's] development as a leader."[6]
Peter Pettinger writes that the album "contained some of the group's most introspective playing, including half a dozen standards epitomizing the Bill Evans ballad conception, each one the equivalent of a classical masterpiece."[9]
Keith Shadwick notes that Israels' "bass style and sound [are] completely different from ... LaFaro's, more traditional in every aspect. The melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic choices he makes for solos and accompaniment are similar to those heard from many other top bass players at the time, from Oscar Pettiford to Paul Chambers. ... The working practice established on Moonbeams would remain in place while Israels was with the group, giving it a very tight, disciplined character and style. The inessentials were all but eliminated, the spotlight trained firmly on the pianist."[10]
Track listing
[edit]Side one
- "Re: Person I Knew" (Bill Evans) – 5:44
- "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 5:01
- "I Fall in Love Too Easily" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) – 2:42
- "Stairway to the Stars" (Matty Malneck, Frank Signorelli, Mitchell Parish) – 4:53
Side two
- "If You Could See Me Now" (Tadd Dameron, Carl Sigman) – 4:29
- "It Might as Well Be Spring" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 6:05
- "In Love in Vain" (Leo Robin, Jerome Kern) – 5:00
- "Very Early" (Bill Evans) – 5:06
Bonus tracks on 2012 CD reissue:
- "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" [Alternate Take] - 4:17
- "I Fall in Love Too Easily" [Alternate Take] - 2:38
- "Very Early" [Alternate Take] - 3:35
Personnel
[edit]- Bill Evans - piano
- Chuck Israels - bass
- Paul Motian - drums
Production
[edit]- Orrin Keepnews - producer
- Pete Sahula - photographer
- Nico - photographic model
- Ken Deardoff - album design
References
[edit]- ^ "Bill Evans Trio LP 1962". smironne.free.fr.
- ^ "Album Reviews: Spotlight Albums of the Week". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 22, 1962. p. 18 – via Google Books.
- ^ Pettinger, Peter, Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Yale University Press, 1998, p. 128.
- ^ Pettinger, p. 126.
- ^ DownBeat: January 31, 1963, Vol. 30, No. 3.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Moon Beams: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 74. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 456. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Pettinger, p. 127.
- ^ Shadwick, Keith, Bill Evans: Everything Happens to Me, Backbeat Books, 2002, p. 96.
External links
[edit]Moon Beams
View on GrokipediaBackground and Context
Album Conception
Following the tragic death of his longtime bassist Scott LaFaro in a car accident on July 6, 1961, Bill Evans entered a period of profound grief and personal turmoil, including struggles with heroin addiction and emotional withdrawal from the music scene.[8][1] He did not record a new trio album for nearly a year, using the time to reassess his approach as a leader and composer, ultimately deciding in early 1962 to return to the studio as a means of processing his loss and rebuilding his artistic voice.[8] This decision marked a pivotal shift, allowing Evans to channel his vulnerability into music that prioritized introspection over the interactive intensity of his previous trio with LaFaro.[1] Evans intentionally curated a repertoire dominated by ballads and standards to delve into emotional depth, selecting pieces like "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and "If You Could See Me Now" that lent themselves to lyrical exploration and subtle harmonic nuance.[9] His playing on these tracks emphasized a tender, restrained piano style, reflecting a deliberate focus on personal expression amid grief, with the album's overall mood conveying melancholy and resilience.[8] This ballad-heavy orientation allowed Evans to foreground his melodic sensibility, creating an intimate atmosphere that highlighted themes of longing and quiet reflection. The conception of Moon Beams also drew from Evans' experiences on earlier Riverside recordings, such as Waltz for Debby (1961), but evolved toward slower tempos and more singular, lyrical piano lines to accommodate the new trio dynamic.[8] This adjustment represented a maturation in Evans' leadership, prioritizing emotional clarity and space over the contrapuntal dialogue that defined his prior work, while maintaining the sophisticated chord voicings that had become his signature.[9]Trio Formation After LaFaro's Death
Following the tragic death of bassist Scott LaFaro in a car accident on July 6, 1961, pianist Bill Evans entered a period of profound grief and self-imposed hiatus from performing, lasting approximately a year and delaying the reformation of his trio until late 1961.[10] This emotional toll, compounded by Evans' increased reliance on heroin to cope with anxiety and depression, left him in a state of shock, with no gigs scheduled until December 1961.[10] In October 1961, upon his return to New York from Italy, bassist Chuck Israels received messages from Evans and was invited for an audition at the pianist's apartment on 106th Street, where the two played repertoire such as "Five" in the presence of drummer Paul Motian.[10] Israels was selected for his reliable rhythmic sense and ability to provide steady timekeeping that aligned with Evans' internal pulse, allowing him to support the pianist's intricate harmonic explorations without the bold, contrapuntal assertiveness that had characterized LaFaro's style.[10] As Israels later reflected, "We both felt the beat the same way and we both knew it," emphasizing a compatibility rooted in shared musical intuition rather than flashy innovation.[10] He aimed to extend Evans' musical ideas through supportive lines, fostering a more cohesive ensemble sound.[11] Drummer Paul Motian, who had been part of the original trio since 1959, was retained for his intuitive rhythmic contributions and mastery of subtle techniques, including delicate brushwork that provided textured, unobtrusive support during ballads and quieter passages.[12] His participation in Israels' audition helped maintain continuity in the group's foundational pulse, bridging the transition while allowing space for Evans' introspective phrasing.[10] Reforming the trio presented challenges beyond the logistical, as the new lineup shifted from the previous group's near-telepathic, egalitarian interplay—where LaFaro's aggressive lines often challenged Evans directly—to a more structured dynamic emphasizing collective blend and emotional depth.[11] Israels noted the difficulty of stepping into LaFaro's shadow, given the late bassist's unparalleled speed and harmonic fluency, yet the trio's debut at New York's Hickory House in December 1961 marked a successful adaptation, with recordings resuming by May 1962.[11] This evolution reflected Evans' post-hiatus introspection, prioritizing inward-focused expression over outward engagement.[10]Recording and Production
Studio Sessions
The studio sessions for Moon Beams took place at Sound Makers Studio in New York City across three dates in May and June 1962: May 17, May 29, and June 2.[13] These marked the debut studio effort by Bill Evans's reconstituted trio, formed shortly after bassist Scott LaFaro's death in July 1961, with Chuck Israels joining longtime drummer Paul Motian.[14] Under producer Orrin Keepnews, the sessions were planned to generate enough material for two albums, separating the ballads for Moon Beams from uptempo selections that became How My Heart Sings!.[14] The process focused on capturing the group's natural interplay, with multiple takes recorded for tracks to select the most expressive performances.[13] Key tracks included "If You Could See Me Now" on May 17, "Re: Person I Knew" and "Very Early" on May 29, and the remaining tracks on June 2. The atmosphere during the sessions was introspective and subdued, influenced by Evans's ongoing grief over LaFaro and the trio's adjustment to a new dynamic, resulting in minimal overdubs to retain the intimate, live-room feel of their collaboration.[14] For instance, the original composition "Re: Person I Knew" was tracked on May 29, exemplifying the session's emphasis on reflective standards and Evans's emerging themes.[13]Engineering and Techniques
Producer Orrin Keepnews adopted a hands-off production style during the recording of Moon Beams, granting pianist Bill Evans substantial artistic control to foster the trio's natural interplay while overseeing the overall balance of the ensemble sound.[15] This approach reflected Keepnews' philosophy of minimal interference, allowing artists' innate talents to emerge without excessive guidance, as seen in his work with Evans across multiple Riverside sessions.[15] Recording engineer Bill Schwartau captured the sessions at Sound Makers Studio in New York City using Riverside's standard practices, which emphasized intimacy in jazz trio settings.[16] Microphones were positioned to capture the piano's touch-sensitive tone, with close-miking applied to the bass for clarity and ambient placement for drums to maintain the room's natural acoustics.[17] These techniques resulted in a spread soundstage with palpable realism, preserving the ensemble's subtle dynamics.[17] In post-production, Keepnews and Schwartau applied minimal editing to retain the spontaneity of complete takes, incorporating natural reverb from the studio environment and subtle EQ adjustments to accentuate the piano's expressive qualities without artificial enhancement.[18] This restrained process aligned with early 1960s jazz recording norms, prioritizing unadulterated acoustic fidelity over heavy manipulation.[19]Musical Content
Track Listing and Arrangements
Moon Beams consists of eight tracks recorded by the Bill Evans Trio, blending original compositions by Evans with jazz standards, all rendered in an intimate trio setting. The full track listing, as released on the original Riverside Records LP in 1962, is presented below, including composers and durations.[2]| Track No. | Title | Composer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Re: Person I Knew | Bill Evans | 5:44 |
| 2 | Polka Dots and Moonbeams | Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen | 5:01 |
| 3 | I Fall in Love Too Easily | Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne | 2:39 |
| 4 | Stairway to the Stars | Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli | 4:48 |
| 5 | If You Could See Me Now | Tadd Dameron, Carl Sigman | 4:24 |
| 6 | Some Other Time | Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green | 5:02 |
| 7 | What Is This Thing Called Love? | Cole Porter | 4:36 |
| 8 | Goodbye | Gordon Jenkins | 5:12 |
