The universal mind of Bill Evans

[shedshrine]

Got 44 minutes?
The universal mind of Bill Evans
"Sooner or later every diligent student who aspires to a true musical journey will need to engage the subjects that Mr. Evans articulates in this jewel of a documentary."
Intro with Steve Allen.

[ubertar]

Thanks. That was interesting. Could you imagine Leno or Fallon hosting a doc like that? Such different times. Popular culture was much more intellectual than today. Take Time magazine then vs. now, for example.

[vvv]

Synchronicity: I been listening to the remaster of Take Five about 5 times in the last cuppla weeks, and turned my 16 y.o. daughter on to it last night, her sayin', "It's nice".

[vvv]

Just watched the whole thing.

Terrific.

"Can you teach jazz?" - Love how they speak of the Socratic method, without ever calling it such.

[douglass]

This was great! Thanks for posting.

Someone needs to get a hold of part 2 where they interview Bill Evans' orthodontist

[shedshrine]

Well of course his "disposable income" went elsewhere.
Orin Keepnews said that unlike many others beholden to that particular habit, whenever Evans came into a little money he would diligently look up everyone he had borrowed from and pay them back.

When the topic of quitting would come up, Evans would say it was like a rebirth everyday. Why would he want to quit that. Can't argue with the resulting art, but what a way to live.

[vvv]

The wiki makes an interesting read; somewhat morbid but it would appear the brother interviewing him in the above-linked vid (a diagnosed schizophrenic) took his own life a year or so before Bill Evans died from what's been called "the longest suicide in history."

[spaced.]

Evans' entire Wiki page is a bummer haha. Seems like he was constantly fighting ridiculous expectations that were really just self-imposed. Still, he's my favorite jazz pianist, Portrait in Jazz was the first jazz album I heard that really grabbed me.

Between this and that Big Star documentary I'm gonna have a busy night.