At the Montreux Jazz Festival preserves the brief but fascinating trio of Bill Evans, bassist Eddie Gómez and drummer Jack DeJohnette. The music carries more outward force than the image of Evans as a purely introspective pianist might suggest. DeJohnette’s quick reactions and strong cymbal presence keep changing the rhythmic possibilities, while Gómez moves through the harmony with the freedom of a second solo voice.
“The Touch of Your Lips” reveals how the group can sustain reflection without losing motion. Evans lets chords hang, Gómez answers with melodic purpose, and DeJohnette colours the spaces rather than merely marking time. “Embraceable You” becomes a solo-piano interlude, drawing the audience close through voicing and touch. At the other extreme, “Nardis” develops into an extended group drama. Its modal framework allows the trio to move from spare statements to percussive intensity, and Evans’s repeated figures gather new meaning as the rhythm section presses against them. The set feels like an event because risk remains audible.
This edition presents the concert on two 180-gram LPs at 45 RPM. It is a clearly specified physical alternative for collectors who already know the performance in another form and a compelling document of an Evans trio with a unique rhythmic identity. The four-side format turns the set into a sequence of focused chapters, from composed themes to open-ended development. Michael 45 keeps the records in Germany and dispatches them from Hilden, eliminating the need for a personal US import and the related customs wait.
Artist page: All titles by Bill Evans
Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe
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