Times remembered : the final years of the Bill Evans Trio / Joe La Barbera and Charles Levin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

LaBarbera, Joe, 1948- author.

Levin, Charles, author.

Series:

North Texas lives of musicians series ; no. 15.

Number 15 in the North Texas lives of musicians series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Evans, Bill, 1929-1980--Last years.

Evans, Bill.

LaBarbera, Joe, 1948-.

LaBarbera, Joe.

Johnson, Marc, 1953-.

Johnson, Marc.

Bill Evans Trio.

Jazz musicians--United States--Biography.

Jazz musicians.

Jazz--1971-1980--History and criticism.

Jazz.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Denton, Texas : University of North Texas Press, [2021]

Summary:

"In the late 1970s legendary pianist Bill Evans, one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, was at the peak of his career. He revolutionized the jazz trio (bass, piano, drums) by giving each part equal emphasis in what jazz historian Ted Gioia called a "telepathic level" of interplay. It was an ideal opportunity for a sideman, and after auditioning in 1978, Joe La Barbera was ecstatic when he was offered the drum chair, completing the trio with Evans and bassist Marc Johnson. In Times Remembered, La Barbera and co-author Charles Levin provide an intimate fly-on-the-wall peek into Evans's life, critical recording sessions, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes of life on the road. Joe regales the trio's magical connection, a group that quickly gelled to play music on the deepest and purest level imaginable. He also watches his dream gig disappear, a casualty of Evans's historical drug abuse when the pianist dies in a New York hospital emergency room in 1980. But La Barbera tells this story with love and respect, free of judgment, showing Evans's humanity and uncanny ability-even in his final days-to transcend physical weakness and deliver first-rate performances at nearly every show. Times Remembered includes a foreword by Hal Miller, a discography of the band's work, and numerous "breakout boxes" with reminiscences by musicians who knew Evans, interspersed with La Barbera's memories of the same times"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword / by Hal Miller

Acknowledgments - Introduction

Prologue

A Child is Born

Berklee (and Bill)

Buddy's Buddy

The Audition

On the Road Again

Lessons from Bill: The Joy of Discovery

We Will Meet Again

Hanging with Bill 1

Birthday Blues and Buenos Aires

Hanging with Bill 2

Expectations

Hanging with Bill 3

The Paris Concert

Europe 1979

Hanging with Bill 4

The Village Vanguard: Turn Out the Stars

Hanging with Bill 5

Last Days: Europe, 1980

Last Days: Stateside

September 15, 1980

Aftermath

Epilogue

Re: Person I Knew

Appendix

Sorrow in Soho / by François Lacharme

Essays / by Joe La Barbera

Similarities

Historical Perspective

From the Listeners' Ears

Reflections on Bill

Roots of the Trio

Regarding New Music

A Carnegie Hall Experience

Itinerary / compiled by Tonino Vantaggiato

Bill Evans Trio Recordings.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-57441-844-0