(Bill Evans, piano; Sam Jones, bass; Philly Joe Jones, drums)
The piano giant, Bill Evans, for many the greatest interpreter of ballads in jazz history, also has had multi CD versions of his classic LP issues. In this case, we deal with Everybody Digs Bill Evans, which had a 2003 K2 20 bit remaster, a 2006 Japanese issue, and now a 2007 Keepnews Collection version. Without having benefit of the 2006 Japanese issue, but with the K2 in hand it’s time for another sound comparison. This session was Evans’ second issue as band leader after leaving Miles Davis’ employ.
Using three Evans’s solo tracks: Lucky to Be Me, the masterful lyrical Peace Piece, and the closing coda, Epilogue, will give the listener an apt comparison between the K2 and the new Keepnews Collection 2007 edition. Listening through a Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD player with the Creek OBH-11 headphone amp and Sennheiser HD 600 headphones, it was a pleasurable experience experiencing these solo tracks. The K2 Peace Piece was pristine, with sharp clear “in the piano” keystrokes. You could lose yourself in Evan’s mastery. The key strike and sound fade were magical. Adding the bonus track, Some Other Time, to the sound test was an irresistible addition as it is another favorite Evans tune. Bill’s attack mixed with tenderness, repeating the theme with one hand while tenderly going into a more aggressive mode would be at home in any piano concert hall, both caressing the theme while branching out at the same time, challenging the listener to not miss a note.
The Keepnews Collection comparison brought a much closer similarity that the Blakey Caravan sound comparison brought to the table. Lucky to be Me, on each issue was close with only a slight nod to the K2. The more complex Peace Piece would take an advanced listener with high end equipment to form a definitive opinion as to which version is the clear winner. Another flip a coin proposition is present. Epilogue at just forty one seconds is just not long enough to form a strong preference. The bonus track, Some Other Time, when done in an A/B comparison would be up to the individual listener to pick the winner.
All in all, with the K2 remaster a limited edition and hard to find, a strong recommendation is to pick up the Keepnews version and save a few bucks for other Evans material. In the liner notes, Keepnews states that this session might be his favorite Evans album. No argument here! Not to ignore the trio tracks as Evans is provided a dream rhythm section with Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones, an arguably close second to LaFaro and Motian as the “best” rhythm section Evans ever had.
TrackList: Minority, Young and Foolish, Lucky to Be Me, Night and Day, Tenderly, Peace Piece, What is There to Say?, Oleo, Epilogue, Some Other Time (bonus track)
– Jeff Krow
