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Bill Evans Trio w Stan Getz - But Beautiful (1974) Jazz

Aside from a series of studio sessions a decade earlier for Verve, this CD represents the only other meeting featuring Stan Getz with pianist Bill Evans. Originally issued by the notorious bootleg label Jazz Door with six selections from a Laren, Holland concert in 1974, Milestone acquired the masters for a legitimate release and added four bonus tunes from a concert in Antwerp, Belgium a week later. Getz meshes almost perfectly with Evans" trio (with bassist Eddie Gómez and drummer Marty Morell), with only one sore spot: Getz ignored the pianist"s request not to play the under-rehearsed “Stan"s Blues,” which provoked Evans into quickly dropping out and signaling his sidemen to avoid solos of their own. But the remaining tracks are all invigorating, particularly Evans" brisk “Funkallero” and the lush take of Jimmy Rowles" ballad “The Peacocks.” It seems a shame that there were not additional opportunities for Getz and Evans to work together on other occasions, but it is possible that their strong personalities would have clashed. Highly recommended! ~ AllMusic.com

This is the second and most successful of the recorded musical meetings between two giants. The first was a 1964 studio session that, for various reasons, didn"t click; “But Beautiful,” on the other hand, is a 1974 European concert recording kept in the vaults until 1995.  It"s a strong outing by Getz (don"t be thrown by previous reviews) but a rather tentative, uneven offering on Bill"s part. 

There"s some extra-musical drama unfolding during the concert. Bill was miffed when Stan, despite earlier assurances, launched into an unannounced, unrehearsed blues, “Stan"s Blues,” for the second number of the set. As a result, he sat impassively at the piano, refusing to play and even forbidding Eddie Gomez to take a bass solo. Under the circumstances, Getz carries on practically heroically, taking the tune entirely upon his own shoulders and submitting a series of inventive, grooving choruses in F. The next tune is “But Beautiful,” and Bill does something I"ve never heard him do on record: he loses track of the chord progression for the last eight bars of the song during Getz"s solo! 

After this halting beginning, the foursome settles down, with Bill"s trio turning in an uncharacteristically swinging, straightahead set behind the irrepressible Stan, especially on a driving “Funkallero.” Then immediately following “The Peacocks” Stan more than makes amends to Bill, offering him a big bouquet of musical roses in the form of an unaccompanied “Happy Birthday” (it was the day of Bill"s 44th). ~ Samuel Chell


Bill Evans Trio w Stan Getz - But Beautiful Tracks:
 
01  Grandfather"s Waltz 7:45 
02  Stan"s Blues 5:32 
03  But Beautiful 5:26 
04  Emily 5:26 
05  Lover Man 7:50 
06  Funkallero 6:18 
07  The Peacocks 6:47 
08  You And The Night And The Music 7:24 
09  See-Saw 6:22 
10  The Two Lonely People 7:58


Personnel: 
Bill Evans, piano 
Stan Getz, tenor saxophone 
Eddie Gomez, bass 
Marty Morell, drums