Bill Evans Trio - Moon Beams

Japanese Extended Resolution (Xrcd) 20Bit Remaster. Album Details

The master of ballads plays all ballads

Evans is peerless when it comes to jazz ballads, to my ears, and here's a full album of his mellow mastery.
Moonbeams is perfect for those who love quiet, introspective music, and is superb background sound for dimming the lights and so on. It is also much more than that. Evans' genius is his inchoate ability to invest almost endless emotion in his work. All the listener need do is let the notes and harmonies flow in, and the spell is cast; there is deep feeling on this record, and many unique meloodic and harmonic choices. Re: Person I Know and Moonbeams are just two of the highlights from an album with no weak spots. Evans had a fine rhythm section here; Motian is a fabulous brush player, and Israels fills La Faro's sadly empty shoes more than credibly.
Producer Keepnews made a wise choice in recording uptempo numbers at this session to balance to mood, and in putting them together on How My Heart Sings, another fine Evans album. His best call was making sure we had at least this one album of all ballads by a man whose magical touch and translucent soul create lush tapestries of blissful relaxation.
This is quietly creative jazz at its finest. October 24, 2007

Not for Everyone

I own many Bill Evans CD's, including every one he did before this. Bill set out to be lyrical on this all-ballad record. The best way to understand the result to describe what it is not. It is nothing like the rowdy cuts on New Jazz Conceptions and Everybody Digs Bill Evans - no up tempo numbers. Paul Motian really eases up here. No dancing on a tight rope like Portrait. So then, how does it compare to the more subdued Village Vanguard recordings and Explorations? Sadly, to me, it does not hold up there either, and it's not just the loss of Scott LaFaro (later recordings prove that). Those CD's have a sophistication and subtle drama that draw the listener in; this recording seems ordinary by comparison. Perhaps that was inevitable - Evans had already tamed the frontiers of innovative voicings, modal music, rhythmic displacement and three-way simultaneous improvisation and was said to hate recording because he did not have much new to say. This was his first all-out attempt to pull the heartstrings. It's still Bill Evans, and he's still great, but the gunslinger checked his best guns at the door here. The result comes across as mainstream, with nothing daring or edgy going one. Of course, mainstream pays the bills - this was one of his most popular CD's. However, I reach for it to deal with road rage, not when I want to hear Bill Evans at his finest. September 16, 2007

another evans album you should have.

perfect for the home late at night, or for night driving in the car, this is a quiet bill evans trio album. chuck israels bass playing compliments mr evans piano superbly and paul motian's drums are subtle and tasteful. a disc that all bill evans fans should have, or any fan of jazz piano trio music should have. mr evans is one of the most lyrically brilliant pianists in jazz history & is in fine, fine form on this recording from 1962. February 19, 2007

Masterpieces of Style, Elegance And Beauty

One of the greatest pleasures of music is listening to it with someone special who shares your musical tastes and at the same time appreciating the beauty and charms music has to offer, like for instance, this lovely album "Moon Beams" from Bill Evans Trio. It consists of some of Bill Evans greatest recordings with Chuck Israels on bass and Paul Motian on drums.

"Less is more" applies to this album of eight remarkable tunes, two of which are his very own compositions, "Re: Person I Knew" and "Very Early." My favorites include "Polka Dots And Moonbeams," "It Might As Well Be Spring," and "Stairway To The Stars." These are masterpieces of style, elegance and beauty.

Listening to this lovely album creates an atmosphere of coziness and you'll surely fall in love with Bill Evans' tastefully exquisite piano playing style.

With my heartfelt recommendation for your listening pleasure always and ever!
February 15, 2007

tastful & engaging

I like stripped down jazz combos and piano, bass and drums is about perfect for well crafted and performed compositions with the kind of space in the music that makes it inviting yet unobtrusive. Bill Evans has a reputation in this field so Moon Beams is a reliable entry into his catalogue if you were intrigued from only hearing his playing on 'Kind of Blue'. November 3, 2006

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