Monday, December 3, 2012

Bill Evans Videography (1970-1980)



BILL EVANS VIDEOGRAPHY: Part Two (1970-1980)
For the first part (1957-1969) go here.


1970                                          

Alfie
Emily
Nardis

Eddie Gomez (b), Marty Morell (d)
Ilkka Kuusisto's house, Lauttasaari, Helsinki, Finland, 1970.
This is recorded at Kuusisto's resident who was a composer of light operatic pieces.

This is a playlist

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If You Could See Me Now
’Round Midnight
Someday My Prince Will Come
Sleepin’ Bee
You’re Gonna Hear From Me
Re: Person I Knew

Eddie Gomez (b), Marty Morell (d).
Sweden, 1970
The first color footage of Mr. Evans. With exception of 'Round Midnight (see below), none of this performance is available online [if we exclude this low quality extract], but still all of it can be watched in great quality on Jazz Icons DVD release.

’Round Midnight


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Emily
Alfie 
Someday My Prince Will Come

Eddie Gomez (b), Marty Morell (d)
15th December 1970, Copenhagen, Denmark

Apparently, The Bill Evans Trio, has been the subject of a broadcast from Chicago, IL, on November 1970, for a show called Homewood.


1972                                            


Waltz for Dissension
Quarter Time Experiment
Northern Trail
Sao Paulo
Stockenhagen

[the above set list is suggested by the uploader of the following Youtube videos.]

Herb Geller (altosax, flute, piccolo), Eddie Gomez (b), Marty Morell (d).
14th February 1972, Hamburg, West Germany.

From NDR Jazz Workshop (what a marvelous TV station was this NDR!) in Hannover. The rehearsal on 12th February for this performance has been issued on DVD.


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Quiet Now

Eddie Gomez (b), Marty Morell (d)
March 31 or January 4 or February 6, 1972, 104 radio house, Maison de l'ORTF, Paris, France.

From the Jazz Session TV series, directed by Bernard Leo; produced by Andre Francis and Henri Renaud. This particular episode is directed by Bernard Lion. The complete show (31min 11s) is available online via Ina, but it is not free streaming and you need to pay. An extract from Quiet Now can be viewed here. For completion purposes, on 17 February  1972, the trio has recorded I Love You in the same venue which a 16mm copy of it exists in the collection of Francis Paudras.


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Waltz for Debbie
Time remembered
How my heart sings
Gloria's step
My romance

Eddie Gomez (b), Marty Morell (d).
1972
Chris Albertson is responsible for this wonderful show. Since he has, at least two times, blogged on this Jazz Set show, let's pass the mike to him: "This interview with Bill was taped in 1972, when he brought his trio to my weekly TV show, The Jazz Set. Bill and I first met at Riverside Records in 1960. Back then, he looked more like an accountant than a jazz musician, but times change and we try to keep up by adopting trendy looks that eventually become laughable."


In 1972, Bill has been on Dutch TV, as well as another American TV show (for The Mike Douglas Show), for the latter, on 16 May, the trio played My Romance and What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life.

1973                                          

Some discographies mention a December TV broadcast from Maison de BRT Brussels, Belgium, as Bill Evans-Eddie Gomez Duo. I'm not aware that whether this footage exist or not.


1975                                          


Up with the lark

Eddie Gomez (b)
September 20, 1975, Monterey, California
A duo from Monterey Jazz Festival '75. The TV reportage directed by Mark Massari.



Billie's bounce

Bill Evans, Marian McPartland, John Lewis and Patrice Rushen on piano!
Eight handed piano from Monterey Jazz Festival '75.


*
Sareen Jurer
Blue Serge
Up With The Lark
But Beautiful
Twelve Tone Tune Two

Eddie Gomez (b), Eliot Zigmund (d).
February (?) 1975, Coppenhagen, Denmark.
From a TV show named Night Moods. Also discographies talk about a date at the Chat Noir Club in Oslo which has been televised, or maybe it is just a radio broadcast. Bill must have loved his red coat. He keeps it on all through the year 1975!


Toward the end of the year, the Bill Evans Trio, featuring drummer Bill Goodwin, appeared in a TV show called Jazz Adventures (presented by Jack Tafoya?), broadcast by WNYC from Brooklyn College.

*
When in Rome

Tony Bennett (vocal)
A clip from Clint Eastwood Presents: Tony Bennett—The Music Never Ends. The duo footage is from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.



Waltz for Debby
Gloria's Step
Live in Portugal
July (?) 1975

The Bill Evans-Eddie Gomez duo






1978                                          


Nardis
 A Child Is born


Kenny Burrell (g), Marc Johnson (b), Philly Joe Jones (d).
July 12th 1978, Casino de Montreux, Switzerland.
From Montreux Jazz Festival '78. Also some indications exist to a June broadcast with Philly Joe and Johnson on PBS, and one in July for BBC.



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The Peacocks
Suicide is painless
Midnight mood
Nardis
Solar

Lee Konitz (altosax - only on Solar), Marc Johnson (b), Philly Joe Jones (d).
19th July 1978, Terni, Italy.
Umbria Jazz Festival '78.



1979                                           

Bill Evans praising Jaki Byard in the short documentary film Anything for Jazz (1980).

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Mornin' Glory
34 Skidoo
But Beautiful
Who Can I Turn To?
Gary's Theme (Gary's Waltz)
Turn Out The Stars
Someday My Prince Will Come
Minha (aka All Mine)
Nardis

Re: Person I Knew
Midnight Mood
The Peacocks
Theme From M*A*S*H
Quiet Now
Up With The Lark
In Your Own Sweet Way
I Do It For Your Love
My Romance



Marc Johnson (b), Joe LaBarbera (d)
January 30, 1979, Iowa, IA.
TV broadcast under the name Jazz at the Maintenance Shop from Iowa, directed by John Beyer and produced by Iowa Public Broadcasting. Contains two sets.





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My Man's Gone Now 
Bill's Hit Tune 
Sugar Plum 
Laurie
The Two Lonely People
Polka Dots and Moonbeams 
My Romance

Marc Johnson (b), Joe La Barbera (d).
Rome, Italy, 1979


*
Barcelona Concert not online, but available on DVD


Marc Johnson (b), Joe La Barbera (d).
December 1979, Barcelona, Spain.
I just know somewhere in this universe a DVD of this concert exists.

1980                                          


RE: Person I Knew
Days Of Wine And Roses
Your Story
Nardis

Marc Johnson (b), Joe La Barbera (d).
August 25th, 1980, Molde Jazz Festival, Oslo, Norway.
The film is directed by S. E. Børja and P. Veiglum. Many sources call this concert as Bill Evans's last film, but apparently there is another short video of him, from September 9th 1980 in New York City, playing Your Story. I haven't seen it but it was filmed for the Merv Griffin Show.

The Oslo concert, in its entirety, can also be viewed on NRK TV website with much better quality.


Interview

The complete Molde concert (videos above), plus the interview in good quality here.


Posthumous films

Among many clips of Bill used in various videos and documentaries, two documentaries made specifically about him worth mentioning. First, Bill Evans: Turn Out the Stars (Léon Terjanian, 1982) which according to Meeker there is some interesting footage in it, including "him rehearsing, performing in concert in Lyon, his memorial service in New York and homages from Phil Woods and Jim Hall." Terjanian is also responsible for direction of a short film about Bill Evans at Gouvy Festival, made in the last year of pianist's life.

The second documentary, which is also the first film/footage I saw from Bill, is simply called Bill Evans (Paul Goldin, 1996), again made in France, and mostly composed of stills and audio clips. I saw it first on arte channel who is also the producer of this 52 minute-long film, in a series about jazz musicians.

If you notice any mistake, or any piece of incorrect info, please inform me about that in the comment section or via direct email which can be accessed on this blog.

Finally, as Mr Evans used to say, "all I must do is take care of the music." You take care, too!

4 comments:

  1. Outstanding work with your Bill Evans Videography.
    However, let us not forget the outstanding appearance of Bill with Tony Bennett on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
    They probably appeared together on other
    shows, as well.
    And I am pretty sure that Clint Eastwood, in the Tony Bennett documentary he directed and which was shown on PBS, discussed their collaboration with Tony and showed clips.
    More than likely, Bill Evans was also discussed in other Bennett documentaries, one of which was directed by Martin Scorsese.
    Again, great work. I hope this helps the cause.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the heads-up. I added a clip from the PBS doc you mentioned in which Tony sings When in Rome.

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  2. Thanks for this detailed research work on Bill Evans. I can confirm there was a broadcast in 1973 on BRT (Belgian Dutch speaking television) as I happened to watch it. In my memory, it was astoundingly good! Yves

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  3. any videos of him doing piano solo?

    ReplyDelete