RIP, Bill Evans (1929-1980)

Pianist Bill Evans died on September 15, 1980, in New York City of a bleeding ulcer, cirrhosis of the liver, and bronchial pneumonia. Evans's friend Gene Lees called Evans's struggle with drugs as "the longest suicide in history." He is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

Critic Richard S. Ginell says of Evans that he is "an entire school unto himself for pianists and a singular mood unto himself for listeners. There is no more influential jazz-oriented pianist." He had an impressionistic sound and an introverted style that allowed him to expand the traditional jazz repertoire and introduce a more European, classical style of playing.

An excellent biography of Evans is Peter Pettinger's Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings. (Available from Barnes & Noble.)

Evans plays "Waltz for Debby" here:

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends two albums by Evans, The Village Vanguard Sessions and Intuition. Both are available from Barnes & Noble: the remastered The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 and Intuition.

Robert
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