Bill Evans' compositions have been interpreted in countless ways through the years, but not so often by big bands. Who better than
Jim McNeely, a fine pianist and one of jazz's most imaginative arrangers, to glean fresh insights from
Evans' music? Leading the fine players of the
Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra,
McNeely sets his sights on some of
Evans' strongest melodies, and he consistently finds new angles. The latent dissonance of "Very Early" is fully apparent when the interval-leaping line is placed over a pedal point, or the final B major 7th chord, for instance. There are other surprising touches, like the half-time tag that breaks up "Waltz for Debby"; the climactic shout choruses (and orchestrated
Bill Evans solo) in "Show-Type Tune"; the medley-style juxtaposition of "Twelve-Tone Tune" and "Twelve-Tone Tune Two"; and the jarring burst of a chord that ends "Turn Out the Stars," gradually fading to close out the album. Lead trombonist
Vincent Nilsson arranged the one piece not composed by
Bill Evans: "Theme for Scotty/Gloria's Step" combines
Clare Fischer's requiem for
Scott LaFaro with a stormy reading of
LaFaro's most famous tune, which remained in
Evans' repertoire long after the bassist's untimely death. Tenor saxophonist
Tomas Franck, one of the album's more prominent soloists, gives "Blue in Green" an unusually turbulent, quasi-"out" arrangement. Other outstanding performers include bassist Thomas Ovesen and flügelhornist Henrik Bolberg Pedersen. ~ David R. Adler