Album Review: Bill Evans - Treasures

Bill Evans (piano) with (collective): Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Eddie Gomez (bass); Alan Dawson, Alex Riel, Marty Morell (drums) + Royal Danish Symphony Orchestra & Danish Radio Big Band

Treasures Solo, Trio & Orchestra Recordings from Denmark (1965-1969) is a two-CD package of  previously unreleased recordings. Bill Evans is heard playing solo, in trio format and, on six of thirty tracks, with the combined forces of the Royal Danish Symphony Orchestra and Danish Radio Big Band. Culled from the private collection of Danish jazz musician Ole Matthiessen, the material was recorded at various locations, including the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and radio engagements.

CD 1 comprises eight trio tracks (bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen is present throughout working alongside drummers Alan Dawson at the 1965 Copenhagen Jazz Festival and Alex Riel the following month at a school in Holbæk) and six tracks featuring Evans, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell with orchestra and big band (conducted by trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg). Half of the tracks are timeless numbers, ranging from the opening Come Rain or Come Shine to I Should Care to Who Can I Turn To? Evans' compositions, themselves standards, include Very Early and Waltz for Debby. Evans' trios on these dates ooze class (Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and either Alan Dawson or Alex Riel). In a 52-page booklet, John Koenig's essay on Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen describes NHØP as 'certainly the greatest jazz bass player ever to emerge from Denmark and one of the top jazz players in the world'. Listening to the disc, who could disagree? 

The 'orchestral suite' features Evans' Waltz for Debby, Time Remembered, My Bells, Waltz for Debby (reprised) and Walkin' Up alongside the title track, Palle Mikkelborg's Treasures. Trumpeter  and arranger Mikkelborg conducted the large ensembles (Idrees Sulieman, trumpet, and Sahib Shihab, reeds, occupied chairs in the band), Evans at the centre of it all with the bass and drums pairing of Gomez and Morell.           

CD 2 features Evans as solo pianist and trio leader. The unaccompanied Evans is heard on a late November, 1965 date playing his own compositions Re: Person I Knew, Time Remembered and Epilogue, and several standards including 'Round Midnight, My Funny Valentine, Come Rain or Come Shine. The trio sides are sparkling musical conversations: Detour Ahead swings (the propulsive bass playing of Eddie Gomez), at times Autumn Leaves could be mistaken for Oscar P (an acknowledged influence), this period in Evans' career could, perhaps, be regarded as the pianist at his best.           

Bill Evans - Treasures is available in CD format from Elemental Music (5990444) and as a limited edition 180-gram vinyl 3-LP set as an exclusive Record Store Day (April 22) release. Russell