Moon Beams

1962 studio album by The Bill Evans Trio
Moon Beams
The album cover features Nico, then a fashion model and actress.[2]
Studio album by
The Bill Evans Trio
ReleasedMid December 1962[1]
RecordedMay 17, 1962 (#5,9)
May 29, 1962 (#1, 8)
June 2, 1962 (#2-4, 6-7)
June 5, 1962 (#10-11)
StudioSound Makers Studio, New York City
GenreJazz
Length39:00 (original LP)
49:30 (2012 CD reissue)
LabelRiverside
RLP-428
ProducerOrrin Keepnews
The Bill Evans Trio chronology
Undercurrent
(1962) 		Moon Beams
(1962) 		Empathy
(1962)

Moon Beams is a 1962 album by jazz musician Bill Evans, and the first trio album recorded by Evans after the death of bassist Scott LaFaro.

Music and releases

With Chuck Israels on bass taking the place of LaFaro, Evans recorded several songs during these May and June 1962 sessions. Moon Beams contains a collection of ballads recorded during this period. The more uptempo tunes were put on How My Heart Sings! In 2012, Riverside released a new remastered edition which includes three previously unreleased alternative takes. Moon Beams and How My Heart Sings! were also released combined as the double album The Second Trio. The woman on the album cover is Nico, who would later achieve recognition as a musical artist herself.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Down Beat
(Original Lp release)		[3]
Allmusic[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[6]

Writing for Allmusic, music critic Thom Jurek said, "selections are so well paced and sequenced the record feels like a dream... Moonbeams was a startling return to the recording sphere and a major advancement in [Evans'] development as a leader."[4]

Track listing

  1. "Re: Person I Knew" (Bill Evans) – 5:44
  2. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 5:01
  3. "I Fall in Love Too Easily" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) – 2:42
  4. "Stairway to the Stars" (Matty Malneck, Frank Signorelli, Mitchell Parish) – 4:53
  5. "If You Could See Me Now" (Tadd Dameron, Carl Sigman) – 4:29
  6. "It Might as Well Be Spring" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 6:05
  7. "In Love in Vain" (Leo Robin, Jerome Kern) – 5:00
  8. "Very Early" (Bill Evans) – 5:06

Bonus tracks on 2012 CD reissue:

  1. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" [Alternate Take] - 4:17
  2. "I Fall in Love Too Easily" [Alternate Take] - 2:38
  3. "Very Early" [Alternate Take] - 3:35

Personnel

Production

  • Orrin Keepnews - producer
  • Pete Sahula - photographer
  • Nico - photographic model
  • Ken Deardoff - album design

References

  1. ^ "Album Reviews: Spotlight Albums of the Week". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 22, 1962. p. 18 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Bill Evans Trio LP 1962". smironne.free.fr.
  3. ^ Down Beat: January 31, 1963 Vol. 30, No.3
  4. ^ a b Jurek, Tom. "Moon Beams: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  5. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 74. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  6. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 456. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

External links

  • The Bill Evans Memorial Library
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Albums
Tethered
Moon
(Masabumi Kikuchi, Paul Motian and Gary Peacock)
Trio
(Geri Allen, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian)
  • Etudes (1987)
  • In the Year of the Dragon (1989)
  • Segments (1989)
  • The Montreal Tapes: with Geri Allen and Paul Motian (Haden, 1989)
  • Live at the Village Vanguard (1990)
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    • MusicBrainz release group