Evolution II

Evolution II Artist: John Lewis
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Format: Live
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 075678331329
EAN: 0075678331329
ASIN: B000056C5X


Release Date: 2001-01-16

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Tracks:

  1. The Festivals
  2. One! Of Parker's Moods
  3. December, Remember
  4. That! Afternoon In Paris
  5. Cain And Abel
  6. Come Rain Or Come Shine
  7. Trieste
  8. Django
  9. Sammy
  10. What Is This Thing Called Love?

Similar Items:

  1. Evolution
  2. The Golden Striker/John Lewis Presents Jazz Abstractions
  3. The John Lewis Piano/Jazz Piano International
  4. This Is What I Do
  5. Bach Preludes and Fugues, Vol. 2

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing Minimalism.......2004-11-20

All that I said for the predecessor of this album goes double for the successor. This is music absolutely unique and irreplaceable for its understated simplicity. If you're a pianist, you no doubt will be able to account for every note that Lewis plays in both hands yet be ceasely surprised at his inventiveness. Not a note is wasted. There are no fills and frills, no alternate harmonies and voicings, no melodic side trips. The pianist simply lays bare and anatomizes each of the songs, erasing the line between performance and composition.

That fact that he is able to employ such virtuosic musicians this time to such purely supportive ends, using them as mere extensions of his instrument and musical genius, is all the more remarkable.

Far from "pleasant" music, this is disciplined, minimalist art of the highest order. It may please even the casual listener but it will repay many times over the concentration of the serious one.

4 out of 5 stars come rain or come shine? shine 's coming now!.......2001-04-02

80 years old john lewis gave us two great records in a few months.Evolution I is for sure a treasury of jazz piano;and even if Evolution II doesn't reach the stratospheric level of volume 1,there are few of piano players who gave us such perfect and swinging music to listen to.Of course,the guitars of Howard Alden and Howard Collins are very sober; but there are great versions of classics like "Trieste","Django","Parker's mood" and great blues playing on "Cain and Abel".This session is easier to listen to than Evolution I,but there is magnificent piano playing here.If one of your favorite valours in music is the art of silence and economy,you'll treasure this record.

4 out of 5 stars Easy on the Ears!.......2001-02-22

I bought both Evolution I and II and listened to I a few times before II. Evolution I is austere, more difficult (and perhaps more rewarding). By comparison, the trio format of EII makes it swing; it is "easy on the ears." There is plenty of subtlety and complex innovation in EII. Lots of humor. Numerous quotations.Never repetitive, always surprising. After hearing EI I realized that Lewis' style is more than spare, it is almost staccato, but in EII the trio, especially the bass, unites his expressions so he seems more smooth than he really is. His re-make of Django is just amazing, although Milt Jackson is still in it (in my head). The sound quality is not up to perfection: Several notes have fuzz on them, though it is not a serious problem overall.

5 out of 5 stars Spare yet Thorough Playing.......2001-02-19

The genius of this album is John Lewis' spare, economical, yet thorough playing. There are no extended riffs or flourishes, just the compositions as written, no more and no less. It is this economy of playing that makes this album truly unique and enjoyable. I own many piano jazz CD's, but certainly nothing with playing such as this!

4 out of 5 stars Can't wait for the next release, E3!.......2001-01-28

Greatly musical. Not as riveting as E1, but the great essence of music is still there. Look forward to next release. Keep up the good work JL, we need the continuity.

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