SSO POPS: How Bill Evans changed jazz, as told by Thomas Clausen

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SSO POPS: How Bill Evans changed jazz, as told by Thomas Clausen

As his immortalised 1959 album says, everybody digs Bill Evans.

That is, everyone and anyone who knows and listens to jazz, the musical genre that many struggle to understand. But for those who do, it's art—art that the American jazz pianist heavily influenced so much, he redefined it.

"Evans influenced a lot of other [jazz] musicians. Not only pianists but musicians in general. Not at least Miles Davis, who plays the trumpet," reveals Danish jazz pianist and composer Thomas Clausen who will be performing at SSO POPS: Tribute to Bill Evans and VCHpresents Chamber: Time Remembered – Bill Evans. He, together with his trio (Thomas Clausen Trio), Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and conductor Jean Thorel, will be paying tribute to Evans' groundbreaking work in jazz.

But what exactly did Bill Evans do? And if we're to step further back, what is jazz all about anyway? Thomas Clausen weighs in.

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Jazz music, described

Thomas Clausen Trio (Photo credit: Gorm Valentin)

Encyclopedia Britannica defines jazz as a "musical form (...) developed by African Americans and influenced by both European harmonic structure and African rhythms. It was developed partially from ragtime and blues and is often characterized by syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, often deliberate deviations of pitch, and the use of original timbres." 

But it also says that "any attempt to arrive at a precise, all-encompassing definition of jazz is probably futile."

"The word jazz covers a wide range of music and musical style—so much, that it’s actually hard to define precisely," Clausen agrees. "But to me, jazz means the music, in which improvisation is very important, even crucial. And a music form that originally comes from the Americas, north and south, with a strong accent on rhythm, swinging rhythm which appeals strongly to the body. 

"It’s the rhythm that attracts you when you begin finding interest in this music (I remember this clearly from my early teenage years). In Indian music, you have the same combination of improvisation and rhythm as in jazz, but this music didn’t spread to the rest of the world like jazz did, strangely enough!"

Perhaps understanding jazz better lies in knowing what makes it different from other genres. Clausen weighs in, "The combination of exactly these two things—improvisation and rhythm—makes jazz different. Improvisation, you can find in most types of folklore. The famous European classical composers before say 1900 were all great improvisers. Even the modern French Olivier Messiaen was a master improviser on the organ. But these composers were improvising alone. The special thing in jazz is that it is about collective improvisation, like a conversation in a group of people, typically a not too big [a] group, most normally a group of 2-5 musicians. 

"Rhythm, of course, you find in most other musical forms. It’s crucial for instance in rock music and Indian music. And in European classical music. Especially in Bach & Mozart—they were masters of rhythm. Stravinsky and others were, too. But it comes normally without the improvisation part!"

Bill Evans' life and work, explored

Photo from Bill Evans' official Facebook page

"Highly nuanced touch, the clarity of feeling content of his music, and reform of the chord voice pianists used"—these are said to be what made Bill Evans renowned in the jazz scene. It was, however, his work with Miles Davis on Kind of Blue that put him on the map.

"I’ve studied Bill Evans' music since 1965 when I heard his playing on the Miles Davis album Kind of Blue. I was 15 years old and this album changed my life. Or at least my direction in jazz," Clausen declares. "I was an Oscar Peterson fan before this. Oscar sums up the whole history of jazz. But this music was more “open”—it felt more open to other styles of music. Drawing on a wider range of sources of inspiration. 

"Evans was strongly influenced by European classical composers like Bach, Chopin & Debussy. Other jazz pianists before Evans had been that, but…with Evans, the influence was felt more strongly. The profound way in which he formed not only his chords but also his careful choice of notes to go with them. His very melodic approach to improvisation. This came from the “European” way of thinking. So to me, he sounds a bit like a composer at the piano. He composes while improvising. Actually, he does something in between which has no name!"

His most famous work may be as Davis’ sideman, but with over 50 recorded albums from 1956 to 1980, his work as a leader cannot be ignored. He sprouted compositions that are now considered classics, such as "Waltz for Debby" and "We Will Meet Again." He is said to have received 31 Grammy nominations, out of which he won seven.

Evans' impact in jazz, summarized

Because Evans' talent is unmatched and his style inimitable, it is rare for his compositions (which were said to be tailored for him) to be included in jazz repertoires. Still, his compositions inspired many musicians, in jazz and beyond.

"The Evans album that influenced me the most (after discovering him on Kind of Blue) was the trio album Trio 65 (with Chuck Israels & Larry Bunker), which I studied in detail when it came out in 1965. Other than that, his early recordings are my favorites: the four albums he did with the bassist Scott la Faro from 1959 to 1961 are very important, beginning with Portrait in Jazz. His duet album with Jim Hall, Undercurrent from 1959, his album from 1968 Live at Montreux with Eddie Gomez and Jack De Johnette...there are many more. But these ones, I studied carefully," Clausen shares. "He was a great composer, and some of his compositions I have played many times: "Waltz for Debbie," "Blue in Green" (from Kind of Blue), "Turn Out the Stars," "Very Early," "3/4 Skidoo," "Walkin’ Up," and "Time Remembered" which I have orchestrated for vocal & big band on the CD August Music with Danish Radio BB.

"For me, Evans is more important as the man who showed new ways to treat standard material. Evans and his bass of drummers created a new way of interplay in trio playing, with more freedom for the bass and drums, for more collective thinking, as opposed to the traditional division of roles before this: division in soloist with a comping background. This movement towards more freedom began long before Evans. He just took a big step further: into freedom for all the players."

Celebrate Bill Evans' music with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Thomas Clauson Trio. 'SSO POPS: Tribute to Bill Evans' is happening on Friday, 6 January 2023. Tickets are available here from SGD 20. 

The music artists continue their homage on Sunday, 8 January 2023 at 'VCHpresents Chamber: Time Remembered – Bill Evans.' Ticket prices start at SGD 20 and can be purchased here.