Bill Evans - "Moon Beams" - Part 2

A Dedication to Scott LaFaro

Although most of the tunes on the 1962 Bill Evans Trio album titled Moon Beams consisted of standards from the 1930s and 1940s, Evans applied his lyrically melodic approach, chord voicing, and impressionistic harmonies to great effect. These flowing tunes, punctuated by drummer Paul Motian, serve as a quiet reminder of Scott LaFaro’s importance to the previous trio with bass parts played by the equally attentive Chuck Israels.  Adjectives like heartfelt, honest, questioning, passionate, and soothing could be used to describe the music on this record. At the time, AllMusic writer Thom Jurek noted, "(The) selections are so well paced and sequenced the record feels like a dream.”

After purchasing an Original Jazz Classics (OJC) LP of Moon Beams in 1990, I went in search of an earlier copy. Dissuaded by the price and condition of the Riverside 1962 Stereo original pressings I could find, I looked at my options. It turned out that a 1963 Riverside UK Stereo Moon Beams could be found in better condition on less noisy vinyl for less money, so I purchased a clean example. Note: Other Interdisc or Phillips copies of Riverside LPs are also recommended.

Next, I found a 1967 stereo reissue titled Polka Dots and Moonbeams. It featured a different cover with a portrait of Evans at the piano. Unlike the original Riverside LP, this one was distributed by ABC Records and remastered by Bob Thiele.

Moon Beams and How My Heart Sings! were released in mono for a few years early on, while the stereo LPs were reissued regularly thereafter (see alternate cover on German reissue above).  These two records were also released together as a double stereo album in 1977 on the Milestone label titled The Second Trio. Evans would go on to form several trios, notably with drummer Marty Morell and Eddie Gomez on bass. His final trio, with drummer Joe LaBarbera and bassist Marc Johnson, was equally sympatico. They would go on to create the late great recordings released as the poignant Paris Concerts.  

With the goal of better understanding the chronology of Riverside Records, which generated an amazing number of iconic jazz titles, their label Milestone was founded in 1966. This label made affordable two-fers of popular titles available to the public for many years. The Riverside catalog was then acquired by Fantasy Records from ABC in 1972. Fantasy created the OJC label, which offered reissues of great jazz titles at bargain prices. Concord then purchased Fantasy in 2004, and in 2017 the Craft Recordings label was formed. This continual chain of stewardship has ensured that the music Evans made on Riverside has never gone out of print.

I mentioned Moon Beams to Chad Kassem at Acoustic Sounds when he was putting together his list of the top 100 jazz records from Fantasy that he was going to re-release on 45 rpm in 2003, and I was so pleased to see he decided to add this title, along with others by Evans, that I subscribed to the whole series. Fast forward a couple of decades, and we now have this brand-new reissue to be released by Craft Recordings on May 30, 2025.

As part of their OJC Series, Craft’s Moon Beams is pressed at RTI on 180-gram vinyl with all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio.  My advance copy was flat and quiet and housed in a rice paper sleeve inside a Stoughton Tip-On Jacket that replicates the original stereo LP.

This is another fantastic effort from Craft. Never jarring and always delicate, this music goes down so easily you will be glad it is cut at 33 rpm instead of 45.  Along with Evans’ original compositions of “Re: Person I Knew” and “Very Early”, everything here has a life-like believability and excellent sense of the studio’s acoustic space.  Piano, bass and drums are all well reproduced with a nice spread from speaker to speaker over a deep and convincing soundstage. The tunes run from lush and delicate to those with a stronger rhythm and definition.

Compared to the other reissues I have, this one stands tall on its own two feet. Depending on your tastes, the Craft pressing might even be preferable to an original UK pressing, which has a warmer, fuller, more three-dimensional presentation that is very involving. I love that organic sound, but there will be some background noise evident, no matter the record’s condition. On the Craft reissue, the music rises with equal presence from an inky black darkness. It sounds like truth and beauty to me.

The 1990 OJC (a 180-gram copy pressed at RTI) and the 2003 AP 45 RPM LPs (pressed in a similar way), are certainly special. They have just a touch more believability with ultimate piano harmonics and portrayal of the brush strokes and bass transients, but good luck finding one of these for $40.  

The reality is that all these pressings sound great. Only the 1967 stereo reissue titled Polka Dots and Moonbeams lacks the same level of realism and definition. On that reissue, the piano sounds a bit unresolved and recessed in comparison. However, even that pressing can be satisfying on its own.

If I only owned this 2025 reissue of Moon Beams by Craft Recordings, I would not feel a strong desire to hunt down an earlier copy, even knowing what I do now. This affordable reissue is a great introduction to exploring the over fifty albums Evans made, and it is a worthy addition to any collection, jazz or otherwise. His influence on pianists is deep and immeasurable.  

 Note: For more on Evans, see the DVD “Bill Evans - Time Remembered” by Bruce Spiegel (trailer attached) and the interview with Marian McPartland on Piano Jazz on Fantasy CD.

 

Article Copyright 2025 Randy Wells. All Rights Reserved.