Bill Evans/Behind The Dikes: The First Official And Complete Release Of The 1969 Netherlands Recordings—Elemental Music Records Vinyl
Thanks to my wonderful nephew, Ian, for loaning me this historic, brilliant vinyl document produced with great care by Elemental Records. Ian snagged this 3 LP set shortly after its debut on Record Store Day 2021. It sold out soon after.
Remastered from the original Radio Hilversum analog tapes by Bernie Grundman, the limited edition comes in a triple gatefold cover in 180-gram vinyl. The set also includes a 12-page insert with never-before-published photos and essays. It’s a beautiful production at 33 rpm with one of the most arresting, innocent, peaceful photos of Bill on the cover.
The recording begins with a speech in Dutch, introductions of Bill and his incredible trio, Eddie Gomez, bass and Marty Morell, drums, then applause, one the most difficult sounds to record well and telling of the very best vinyl (think of the opening of Belafonte from Carnegie Hall). As such, the sound of this recording from the opening has great potential. What were tapes rusting away in the Dutch Jazz Archives with pirated takes bootlegged beyond belief in execrable sound, is now an exceptional recorded document remastered with the utmost care with proceeds rightfully going to the Bill Evans Estate.
This trio was the second incarnation. The first and greatest was with Scott LaFaro, who was killed in a car accident when he was 25 and Paul Motian on drums. Gomez and Morell, together with Evans for seven years, are arguably as good.
The 3 LPs (all pristine surfaces) are filled with 1969 dates from KRO Studio in Hilversum, Amsterdam and a couple of tracks with the Metropole Orkest from the Vara Studio 8, also in Hilversum. The six sides include all your favourite Bill Evans turns. No jazz artist since his death, save Miles, had every note venerated, and here, though most tracks are unheard, the same bended knee applies.
The trio, especially with the vigorous Eddie Gomez driving the bus, is in hard-swing mode. And when things get quiet, Evans can weave a spell better than anybody. Check out Bill from the first notes of the opener “You’re Gonna Hear From Me”. He’s got you and the audience, and most probably the composer, another of my favourite pianists, Andre Previn, by the heartstrings. Then Gomez’s star turn in an almost unrecognizable “Stella by Starlight” all the while the best brushes in the business sounding the perfect accompanist from Marty Morell’s “listening drums”.
Dip into any of the six sides, and you’ll be getting the highest quality from a particularly fruitful time in Evans’ life. In fact Evans’ A list set numbers, no matter how many different versions you’ve heard (such as “Waltz for Debby”), sound fresh and new every single time. Remarkable.
It’s interesting that some reviewers for whom I have great respect, are not enamoured with the sound—bass and drums are too loud, balance, etc. Not me. From the opening chart, you’ll get basic, left Bill, center right, bass, and Marty directly out of the right speaker. Think of every great jazz trio recording from Van Gelder Studio.
Also, the timbres produced by the three unique artists are beautifully captured. As far as timbre and their tones’ immediacy in a lovely setting are concerned, buy (if you can find it) with confidence.
Virtuoso Gomez in his excitement, can get a little “thumpy”, but if your system is up to it, especially your tonearm, it’s all in a days work and sounds fine. It’s also rare across the six sides. And Bill’s brilliant right hand technique can produce some frequency shouts at the very top of the treble, but also rare.
As for ambient acoustics, all three locations sound similar with no artificial reverb. The clapping always gives away the acoustic.
Play “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart” for a perfect example of the jazz piano trio art. A flawless ensemble playing at an ideal tempo with amazing contributions making three into one.
The two orchestral charts, “Granadas” and “Pavane”? Pleasant, no more. Easily as well recorded and when the trio’s “soloing”, things are splendid.
No matter the format, my Riverside CDs, several of his famous LPs (reissues) or my streaming Qobuz playlist, Bill Evans never ceases to thrill. Maybe one exception, Trio 64. My father weaned me on this LP when I was a kid and even the superb reissue vinyl still did not move me last year So, for Bill, that’s many many masterpieces and one good one.
If you’re one of the millions of Bill Evans fans, and you’re a vinyl completist like me, you’ll be hunting this sold out masterpiece as soon as you have finished reading my review. Start at Discogs (no financial affiliation).
And a special thank you to all the producers who pulled this together. Bill Evans fans will be forever thankful.
