AVID Jazz here presents four classic Gil Evans albums including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD. “New Bottle Old Wine”; “Great Jazz Standards”; “Out Of The Cool” and “Into The Hot”. AVID begins its tribute to Gil Evans (one of jazz’s most influential and significant individuals both as composer and arranger) with “New Bottle Old Wine” recorded in 1958. The album represents works from earlier eras in a contemporary big band framework with writing by major jazz composers and influential players like W.C. Handy, Lester Young, Dizzy, Bird, Monk, Armstrong and Jelly Roll! For “Great Jazz Standards” from 1959 Gil makes use of several highly individual styles and approaches to his music blending the soloists to his own band voice to create a third blended musical personality. He makes full use of such great names as Curtis Fuller, Johnny Coles, Steve Lacey and Elvin Jones. 1960’s “Out Of The Cool” features the orchestra that Gil had settled on which he felt afforded him the best outlet for his musical ideas. Evans tended to under write his arrangements allowing the soloists more room to create, some were merely sketches that would often come to life during performance! George Russells Lydian Concept as applied to twelve bar blues appears on his composition “Stratusphunk”, the concept perhaps better known and utilised on the classic Miles Davis album Kind Of Blue! “Into The Hot” features Gil’s orchestra from 1961 and focuses on the work of two composers, trumpet player John Carisi and pianist Cecil Taylor. Carisi had contributed to the classic Mile Davis album “Birth Of The Cool” and was now concentrating on his writing rather than playing. Cecil Taylor was a near avant garde pianist his music often strident and difficult. Gil declared of Taylor………”when I hear him I start laughing in pleasure because his work is so full of things. There’s so much going on……….whatever he does just bristles with all kinds of possibilities” Both composers lead their own orchestras through Gils arrangements, the orchestras feature such great names as Bob Brookmeyer, Phil Woods, Milt Hinton, Clark Terry, Archie Shepp, Roswell Rudd, Henry Grimes and Sunny Murray. All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered
CD1 1-8: ‘New Bottle Old Wine’ 1. St. Louis Blues 2. King Porter Stomp 3. Willow Tree 4. Struttin’ With Some Barbecue 5. Lester Leaps In 6. ‘Round Midnight 7. Manteca 8. Bird Feathers 9-15: ‘Great Jazz Standards’ 9. Davenport Blues 10. Straight, No Chaser 11. Ballad Of The Sad Young Men 12. Joy Spring 13. Django 14. Chant Of The Weed 15. Theme (La Nevada)
CD2 1-5: ‘Out Of The Cool’ 1. La Nevada 2. Where Flamingos Fly 3. Bilbao Song 4. Stratusphunk 5. Sunken Treasure 6-11: ‘Into The Hot’ 6. Moon Taj 7. Pots 8. Angkor Wat 9. Bulbs 10. Barry’s Tune 11. Mixed
