Pianist Bill Evans is heard as a versatile and adaptive improviser during a time period spanning 1955-1957 on The Sideman Years, a retrospective sampler of his early recordings released in September 2007 by the Fresh Sound label. This material was drawn from four different 12" LPs: guitarist Dick Garcia's Message from Garcia (Dawn 1106); guitarist Joe Puma's Joe Puma Jazz Trio and Quartet (Jubilee 1070); progressive clarinetist Tony Scott's The Touch of Tony Scott (Victor 1353); and trombonist Jimmy Knepper's A Swinging Introduction to Jimmy Knepper (Bethlehem 77). The three Garcia sides and three titles from the Scott session were included in Emergence, a similar early Evans compilation released in April 2007 by the Fivefour label. Both albums provide a contextual backdrop for this artist's mature work as a member of the Miles Davis group. ~ arwulf arwulf|
Rovi