Bill Evans Trio – Portrait In Jazz

Includes new specially prepared liner notes by Penguin Guide to Jazz's writer Brian Morton and by Paris' prestigious JAZZ MAGAZINE. Evans' great innovation was to make the bass player and drummer, in this case, the sublime Paul Motian, equal partners in the music. LaFaro's bass constantly offers countermelodies to the piano lines. Though there are ballad performances as well, this is Evans at his most upbeat, almost joyous. If it lacks the sheer immersiveness of the Village Vanguard date, it's also much more open and accessible. PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ - Bassist Scott LaFaro shines on Portrait in Jazz, as Evans gave him the freedom to express the full breadth of his astounding technique, which was practically unprecedented among bassists at the time. Drummer Paul Motian, who completes this legendary trio, exhibits his impressionistic playing throughout the LP. As for Bill Evans, often celebrated for his chordal playing which he honed to perfection, the pianist shows here that he was also a formidable improviser of melodies. Together, they demonstrate unparalleled creativity, fluidity and swing that give these instrumental interpretations an expressiveness worthy of the greatest singers JAZZ MAGAZINE