This is not a tribute. Rather, the work done by Corea, Gomez, and Motian in invigorating Bill Evans’ work should be seen as a completely new album. Fans of Evans will appreciate the sheer amount of work the trio have done on singles like Hot House and Off The Cuff. This is because they have fully deconstructed each of Evans efforts down to the constituent elements; the rebuilding that they do to these tracks turns them into new tracks for 2012.
Sure, there may be bits and pieces of the original Evans compositions left (Rhapsody is one of these examples), but Corea, Gomez, and Motian imbue each effort with a relevancy that cannot be ignored. By doing this, they properly honor and respect Evans’ memory. While 2010 makes the thirtieth anniversary of Evans’ death, one cannot underestimate the sheer amount fo influence that ey had on jazz. By creating Further Explorations, Corea et al create a tracklisting that makes Evans relevant for 2012. While Very Early and Off The Cuff are delights, the two parts of But Beautiful represent a full 12 minutes of ethereal delight.
The entire two-disc effort created a full experience for listeners; I would not suggest picking out one’s favorites and listening to them without the additional context added by the rest of the album. Further Explorations would be a perfect way to introduce the younger set to jazz music. Pick up the album today to see what I mean; Concord has a hot commodity on their hands with Further Explorations.
Top Tracks: Very Early, Off The Cuff
Rating: 8.0/10
Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez and Paul Motian – Further Explorations (CD) / 2012 Concord Jazz / 19 Tracks / http://www.concordmusicgroup.com