George Russell and His Orchestra, Featuring Bill Evans - "Jazz In The Space Age" Clear Vinyl, Album, LP, Limited Edition, 2016/1960 (Doxy)

The ultimate and very obscure Mid-Century America, with a ting of the Space Age, the jazz album. "Jazz in the Space Age" is John Cassavetes walking down Time Square in the middle of the night, and there's rain and he is smoking.  Or it could be "Sweet Smell of Success."  Nevertheless, this is a classic noir jazz album that sounds like an original soundtrack recording, but alas, it is not the case.  At the crisp of the 60s, this is an album that theme wise looks to the future, but in reality, it's a brilliant work with Bill Evans at his peak, with Paul Bley on the piano as well.  In fact, it's dueling pianos.  

George Russell plays "beats and timed drums."   He also wrote all the pieces on this album.  It's a combination of orchestrated jazz but with interesting 'bop' type of solos and improvising sections within the orchestration.  especially from Evans and Bley.  I was sort of expecting a Joe Meek like recording, and that is not the case.  Still, the playing by Evans and Bley are incredible.  Since I got this album last week, I have played it a lot in the house.   The album cover is great, but the music is not kitsch whatsoever or even space exotica.  But it is Evan/Bley-tastic. 

Bill Evans Trio - "Portrait In Jazz" CD Album

Bill Evans Trio – Portrait In Jazz

CD Album, Reissue, Remastered

Original Jazz Classics/Riverside Records

It all seems so effortless, but Bill Evans is a man who controls the heart of the song via his fingertips. On “Autumn Leaves” him and his bass player Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian play with the melody as if it was a beach ball being thrown back and forth. Also the song is so sad sounding but Evans plays sort of a speed jazz version which tears into the melody and finds it playful.

There is something very tense and nervy about his playing and the arrangements. Thelonlous Monk is a musician that skirts around the melody, like he's cutting it from a cloth, but Evans just jumps in and tears it apart and sort of re-builds the song up again. What I like about jazz in general is how a musician looks at the music as if it was architecture. The artist is looking at the structure, and re-arranges the music to suit their purpose.

Portrait in Jazz is very much the classic jazz album with the classic jazz trio set-up. But beyond that it is quite remarkable to hear the musicians interact on this album, because one would think its the piano, and the bass and drums are supporting that instrument. But alas, I think each instrument here is playing with not against or supporting the piano. Powerful music.