biography
| name: |
Evans, Bill
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popular name of William Evans
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1929–80)
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| biography:
| Jazz pianist, born in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA. He studied music at Southeastern Louisiana College and at Mannes School of Music, New York City, playing when he could. Musicians admired his intricate, ruminative style, but he made no impression on fans until he joined Miles Davis's great sextet in 1958. He stayed only six months but played on some brilliant recordings, including the classic ‘Kind of Blue’ (1959). In 1960, he led a trio at the Village Vanguard, and found critical and popular success. For the rest of his career, he recorded prolifically, partly to support a heroin habit, but nevertheless with great acclaim, winning three Grammy Awards and numerous prizes. Among his best works are At the Village Vanguard (1961), Know What I Mean (1961), Intermodulation (1966), and Alone Again (1977). In the period covered by these records, he was a dominant stylist in jazz, and a major influence. |
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