Impressionist pianists
Bill Evans is a musician I can return to again and again. He's the jazz pianist comparable to the classical Debussey. Like Impressionist painters, they fascinate us with variations in light and color. They purr like finely-tuned, 12 cylinder Rolles Royces in neutral. Trouble is they hardly ever put that car in gear.

Wild Bill
This two edition concert set features Bill Evans with his "second greatest" trio, Marc Johnson and Joe LaBarbera, playing standards, including several that Evans recorded before. The sound is a surprise - the piano sounds vivid and gorgeous and Evans has fun with its low register growl. Jazz purists may not like the modern close-mic'ed sound - it's a bit sterile compared to traditional recordings. The bass also sounds very modern - the tone sings out in all registers, with only enough click and boxiness to prove that it is not a fretless bass guitar. If you like a detailed, modern sound, it's a great combination; if you prefer old-school sound shaped by a real venue, you may hate it.

Evans' solo work dominates; the three-way Evans/LaFaro/Motian dance only happens occasionally. The My Romance trio brings back the "good old days" and the piano/bass duet on Up with the Lark is a joy, but the "Bill Evans" label on the CD is more accurate than "Bill Evans Trio" would be. Johnson takes full advantage of his instrument's singing quality and range (I wish that LaFaro had this sound so I could hear him better), and leave you wanting more. LaBarbera plays effectively like Motian at his most subdued, Philly Joe Jones at his most extroverted, and everywhere in between. There's none of the rhythmic tug-of-war between piano and drums like in Montreux; everyone's locked in.

If you are not put off by busy arrangements and urgent tempos, and you don't require a giant helping of Village Vanguard-style interplay, the playing on this CD should satisfy your need for more Bill Evans.

Bill Evans finest
Loved Bill Evans since I first got 'addicted' to the intro of 'blue in green'
then learned all the other records with Scott LaFaro and later Eddie Gomez. The live in Tokyo Album is also one of my favourites but the Paris Concert (get both Paris albums they will blow you away) is probably the best. Although I have listened to this record over and over again it never seems to become dull such is the greatness of the improvisation, trio and music.

Incredible recordings of a great artist with a great trio
I play the piano myself and I probably own almost every Bill Evans CD that is avaialable. The two Paris concerts are in my opinion his two best albums. In these concerts, Bill Evans captures some of the old spirit of the early Scott LaFarro recordings. However, I think these actually exceed them in in terms of creative improvisation, certainly sound quality and depth. This recording represents a very mature Evans at the height of his ability.

A Different Bill Evans
Now, as much hullabaloo thats been made about his last trio, I figured it was worth my money to get the edition one and edition two of the Paris concerts.

What I found upon listening to them is that I wondered to myself if this was even Bill playing. I am a huge Bill Evans fan, I have over 15 of his albums, but they're mostly pre 1974 stuff. The thing I love most about his approach to the jazz piano is the understated beauty that he injects into his songs. I don't find much of that in these last concerts.

It seems as though Bill is making sure that all of the ideas about any of the melodies or harmonies gets put out there for all to listen because he might of felt the coming spectre of death on his shoulder and he wanted to make sure he got all the ideas out of his system.

I think that there is some overplaying on these albums. There is alot more trilling than I ever heard come out of Bill, and at times it seems like he is lost in musical thought trying to make sure he covers all of his bases on any thoughts which he would of liked to cover.

There are moments of musical wonder on these works, but I don't sense the intimacy in this group as much as with the Motian, LaFaro, Trio. That trio remains my favorite. At times I felt Marc Johnson to be a bit heavy handed in his treatment of the accompanyment.

Of course, I could be the crazy one, and the previous reviewers could be right... In my opinion, Bill Evans should be remembered more for moments like, "Isnt it Romantic," track one off of At Shelly's Manne-Hole, than the playing off of these two albums...