Most of the favorable reviews of arranger/composer Gil Evans albums have been on the Impulse album,"Out Of the Cool", yet this album seems to get ignored. But it would be a shame if you're into Gil's sound to ignore this album for it is more ambituous in orchestrations and Gil's compositions. "Hotel Me" for example has a unique orchestration of 2 bassists (Gary Peacock/Richard Davis) and the propulsive drumming of Elvin Jones. In fact I really dig the recording quality on this disc than on the Impulse. Other great soloists featured on this disc are Wayne Shorter, Kenny Burrell, Johnny Coles and Thad Jones. As Miles said about Gil: "His arrangements should be studied carefully"
October 6, 2008O.K. folks here we go, from an ex- Santa Barbara disc jockey to you. The best song on this excellent CD is Las Vegas Tango. What should blow your mind about this song is the multirhythmic backing of Elvin Jones on drum. The band itself is tight and strong. The song is kinda haunting. I've hummed it to myself for the past forty years, and after losing the album a while back, I bought a new CD of it through Amazon.com from England, and I am very happy I own it. I think everyone should own at least one of this, one for themselves and one to give to a friend. This album, and particularly Las Vegas Tango, is one of the best outputs of any band during the 20th century. Buy it.
January 6, 2007 |  | I could have lived without the "filler"... |  |
Well, sometimes, the old ways are best. Some times, picking what fits on an LP forces choices that really prove to be wise. The extra, "lost" songs that were rescued from the tape vaults or from other oddball LPs don't, in my opinion, add much to a pure, utter classic LP, per its initial incarnation. I would love a disc with the original cuts in the correct order, because such a disk (like "Out of the cool") is an integrated whole -- more than the sum of its astonishing parts. I do like hearing the previously lost bits, but instead of forcing this overstuffed, clunky playlist on us, how about a two-disk set, with the original LP playlist on one, and the lost stuff on the second.
But I complain too long. The original "Individualism" is a colossal phenomenon. Gil Evans IS individual, and what a loss that he's gone.
June 6, 2006 | | The Individualism of Gil Evans - Very Listenable | |
I don't think I've found a piece of music by Gil Evans that I don't like. He is perhaps most famous for his work with Miles Davis (
Sketches of Spain is a classic). But he's also done a lot of other work - good work. While listening to
WXPN sometime a couple of weeks ago I came across this recording:
The Individualism of Gil Evans, here released on Verve. This is also important as it is Evan's only date as a leader in the mid 60's. The session features such standouts as Kenny Burrell on guitar, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Phil Woods on alto, Thad and Elvin Jones on trumpet and drums respectively and Jimmy Cleveland on trombone. The CD offers nine tracks including two previously unreleased to the original Lp. My two favorites on this are
Time Of The Barracudas and
Las Vegas Tango. I would highly recommend this to fans of Evans as well as any one looking for a very listenable jazz album but don't know a lot about the genre.
Music Blog December 22, 2005If you like Gil Evans' work with Miles Davis, you'll like this. Some startling compositions -- 'Hotel Me' with its romping rhythm, the stunning 'Las Vegas Tango' -- and some splendid covers, Willie Dixon's 'Spoonful' (with the LP's edit cuts reinstated) and a beautifully funereal go at Kurt Weil's 'Barbara Song'. Listen especially to Elvin Jones' excellent drumming. A classic.
March 21, 2003More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(6 reviews)