Moon Beams  The Bill Evans Trio  Riverside Records (1962) Nico in her early days as a model graces the cover here.  The debut recording of Bill Evans “Second Trio” with Chuck Israels on bass taking the place of LaFaro, who died at 25 in an automobile accident on July 6, 1961 (just 10 days after the Bill Evans Trio’s triumphant Village Vanguard engagement).  The death of LaFaro was a devastating personal and musical, loss to the pianist, after which he took nearly a year off from recording or playing in public.  Moon Beams collects the ballads recorded during May and June 1962 sessions. Moonbeams is perhaps the most exquisitely romantic of Evan’s Riverside releases, much like Coltrane’s BALLADS in this respect.  (The more uptempo tunes from these sessions were put on How My Heart Sings!)  Fun fact:  Included here  is the Evan’s original “Re: Person I Knew” which is an anagram of producer Orrin Keepnews’s name.

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