Grief has the potential to either inspire the best or draw out our worst in us.
When Jazz Double Bassist and Bill Evans Trio member Scott LaFaro died in a car accident, Pianist and Composer Bill Evans ceased recording music for months. Wounded by grief, he only came back into the recording studio in 1962 to collaborate with Guitarist Jim Hall on their album “Undercurrent.”
The conversation between Evans’ piano and Hall’s guitar throughout the long-playing vinyl record is unforgettable. The duo’s musical conversation buoys from up-tempo and energetic on the album’s opening track, “My Funny Valentine,” to more introspective and tense on songs such as “Romain.”
A personal favorite of mine is “Skating in Central Park” which brings to mind memories of simple, mundane joys. The guitar punctuates Evans’ soft piano backing with a gentle force, and the two musicians switch off giving one another the spotlight. Like any good conversation, it ebbs and flows between who is talking and who is listening. Lively, dynamic and cerebral, this album demonstrated that Evans’ was ready to step back into the soft spotlight of the jazz world.
Though it is an axiom to never judge a book by its cover—or rather an album in this instance—“Undercurrent” has a stunning photograph visually introducing the listener to the experience. The photograph was taken by Photographer Toni Frissell and is titled, “Weeki Wachee spring, Florida.”
The ghostly, ephemeral figure of the woman in the water seems unmoored from time and epoch. I believe this cover compliments the music wonderfully. Jazz is not only the moody counterpart to studying in the fall, over cups of coffee and under swirls of cigarette smoke.
A good conversation can be listened to at any time. Indulge in this conversation between Evans and Hall, I guarantee you’ll glean at least a few nuggets of wisdom.
