Bill Evans – Interplay

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Interplay is a 1963 album by Bill Evans. It was recorded in July and August 1962 in NYC for Riverside Records.

AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek:
Interplay stands as some of Bill Evans’ most enigmatic and unusual music in makeup as well as execution. It was recorded in July 1962 with a very young Freddie Hubbard from the Jazz Messengers, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Philly Joe Jones performing five veteran standards. Evans has a more blues-based approach to playing: harder, edgier, and in full flow, fueled in no small part by Hall, who is at his very best here, swinging hard whether it be a ballad or an uptempo number. Hubbard’s playing, on the other hand, was never so restrained as it was here. Using a mute most of the time, his lyricism is revealed to jazz listeners for the first time — with Art Blakey it was a blistering attack of hard bop aggression. On this program of standards, however, Hubbard slips into them quite naturally without the burden of history — check his reading and improvisation on “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Ironically, it’s on the sole original, the title track, where the band in all its restrained, swinging power can be best heard, though the rest is striking finger-popping hard bop jazz, with stellar crystalline beauty in the ballads (https://www.allmusic.com/album/interplay-mw0000188120).

Track listing:
“You and the Night and the Music” (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) – 7:04
“When You Wish upon a Star” (Leigh Harline, Ned Washington) – 5:45
“I’ll Never Smile Again” [take 7; original take] (Ruth Lowe) – 6:32
“I’ll Never Smile Again” [take 6] – 6:38
“Interplay” (Bill Evans) – 8:14
“You Go to My Head” (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 5:06
“Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)” (Harry Barris, Ted Koehler, Billy Moll) – 6:24

Personnel:
Bill Evans – piano
Percy Heath – bass
Philly Joe Jones – drums
Jim Hall – guitar
Freddie Hubbard – trumpet

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Released: June 1963
Recorded: July 16–17 and August 21, 1962
New York City
Length: 45:27
Label: Riverside
RLP-445
Producer: Orrin Keepnews