United Artists Jazz (UAJ 14003) Bill Evans, Piano; Jim Hall, Guitar. Produced by Alan Douglas. Front Cover Photo by fashion photographer Toni Frissel of a woman floating in the water at Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida was published in Harper’s Bazaar in December 1947.

This beautiful gatefold album includes an “essay” inside by Barry J. Titus after Jim Hall and Bill Evans titled “Wait Quickly” that looks almost like “greek type” or non-sensical strings of words. Not sure if it’s beat poetry or just impressionistic rambling. One section reads “Eyes dance truth’s instrument. Sieve, sickle and sloat, red grimes grey molds parted skins furrowed tissue lives skeletal screams. Longbrown stone blunt nose raised. “Naked day?” puffed sound slices blush.” Huh?! But you can’t look at Jazz album cover art without considering the simple power of this dream-like photograph.

This album, from 1962, was the first collaboration between the two (Intermodulation four years later being the second). This was Evans first recording after some time off following the death of bassist Scott LaFaro. Hall at the time was in Sonny Rollins quartet. Musically, it is a sophisticated, subtle dialog between two jazz giants in their prime. Murray Horowitz, on NPR, called it “Lovely impressionistic music that draws a perfect winter afternoon picture.”

(15 votes, average: 4.53 out of 5)

 Loading ...