The influence of
Bill Evans is quite strong on
Tender Waves, which is
Martin Wind's second album as a leader and was recorded in Holland in 1994. This Dutch release finds the acoustic bassist forming a piano trio with drummer
Keith Copeland and the lyrical, melodic pianist
Bill Mays, who brings his appreciation of Evans to
Wind's thoughtful compositions as well as introspective versions of
George Gershwin's "There's A Boat That's Leaving Shortly for New York" (one of the Gershwin classics that hasn't been overdone by jazz musicians in recent years) and
Caetano Veloso's Brazilian classic "Coracao Vagabundo." But while Evans is among Mays' strongest influences, Mays is nonetheless his own man. Mays is an admirer of Evans, but not a clone-and ultimately, it is Mays' own lyricism, not the ghost of
Bill Evans, that proves valuable to
Wind on this memorable CD. ~ Alex Henderson