Elemental Music unearths another historic Bill Evans live performance, just in time for Record Store Day 2026.
Bill Evans At The BBC – Elemental Music 5990558 – Deluxe Limited Edition First Pressing 180-gram gatefold 2-LP Set, Record Store Day [4/18/2026], 70:13 *****:
(Bill Evans – piano; Chuck Israels – double bass; Larry Bunker – drums)
After the untimely death of Scott LaFaro, Bill Evans continued with a “second trio” (prior drummer Paul Motian and bassist Chuck Israels). Eventually, Larry Bunker became the drummer. During a four-week stint at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz club, the Bill Evans Trio appeared at the BBC television studios on March 19, 1965 as part of the Jazz 625 series. This performance represented Evans in his lyrical prime and is a testament to the unique trio dynamics.
Elemental Music has released a 180-gram 2-LP of this concert (also available on CD). It captures the introspective approach by Evans. Side A opens with a syncopated jaunty Intro to “Five”. The intro is reprised in the finale. Next up is the atmospheric waltz-time “Elsa”. Evans’ tender rumination and precise notation is flawless and the rhtyhm section coalesces around his lithe execution. Israel’s sinewy double bass kicks off Gershwin’s eternal jazz standard, “Summertime”. Evans distills the melody with inherently rhythmic grooves and then hands it off to Israels for a solo. Evans’ solo is lively and includes a plethora of chord shifts, but never loses the song’s essence. Bunker’s brush work is nimble. “Come Rain Or Come Shine” began as a popular Broadway tune that became a staple of the jazz culture. Evans’ melancholic first verse is hypnotic. As the trio joins in, there is a gentle swing uptick, another Israels run and a percolating Evans solo that injects bluesy resonance.
There is a meditative, haunting aural landscape to “My Foolish Heart”. His relaxed play flows seamlessly, and the understated phrasing is moving. This aesthetic permeates the arrangement for an original, “Re: Person I Knew”. After a deliberate beginning, Evans kicks into cool swing with great right-hand notation. He is as always generous, as Israels also solos and the reserved brush strokes of Bunker add texture. Switching to hard bop mode, (“Israel”), the ensemble takes in a 10-bar blues number with briskness and attitude. Bunker shines on gritty drum solos and fills, exchanging with Evans.
Evans has always paid homage to jazz legends, especially Miles Davis. Here, there are a pair of tracks closely associated with him. “Someday My Prince Will Come” was originally a pop ballad from the Disney movie Snow White And The Seven Dwarves”. Evans’ cover is medium-swing and there is a torrent of piano improvisation, spirited double bass solo, and drum breaks. Like his mentor, he has reinvented pop as jazz. A Davis-penned song (that he actually never recorded), “Nardis” has become a consistent part on the Bill Evans repertoire (recorded 12 times) With a modal delivery and exotic motifs, Evans embraces the complex and evolving stylistic changes of the cool jazz era. It has a memorable vamp and bluesy chords. Evans utilizes a lilting tempo and precision on ballads like “Who Can I Turn To” and “How Deep Is The Ocean”. A certain highlight is one of Evans’ most recognized numbers, “Waltz For Debby”. He glides through the song (in medium 3/4 time) and articulates his jazz technique and arrangement skills.
Kudos to Elemental Music for uncovering this unreleased vintage Bill Evans concert (previously only seen and heard on bootleg videos). The sound mix (transferred from the original BBC tapes and mastered by Matthew Lutthans/The Mastering Lab) is potent and quieter, approximating studio acoustics. There is a great deal of subtlety and clarity in the piano tonality, with attention to centering and an expansive soundscape. Included in this Record Store Day gem is is a fold-out gatefold with an incisive booklet of liner notes, interviews and rare photos.
Highest recommendation!
—Robbie Gerson
Bill Evans At The BBC
TrackList:
Side A: Intro into Five Theme; Elsa; Summertime; Come Rain Or Come Shine
Side B: My Foolish Heart; Re: Person I Knew; Israel; Five (Theme)
Side C: Intro Five (Theme); How My Heart Sings; Nardis; Who Can I Turn To?
Side D: Some Day My Prince Will Come; How Deep Is The Ocean; Waltz For Debby; Five (Closing Theme).
