Affinity (Bill Evans album)
| Affinity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 11, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | October 30–November 2, 1978 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 42:36 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Helen Keane | |||
| Bill Evans chronology | ||||
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Affinity is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans released in 1979, featuring Belgian harmonica player Toots Thielemans. Evans plays a Rhodes piano on some of the tracks, and saxophonist and flutist Larry Schneider appears on some of them as well. The album represents the recording debut of bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Eliot Zigmund, who had left the trio the previous year, puts in a guest appearance as a studio musician.[1]
Evans said of Thielemans, "He is the only harmonica player in jazz. And I just love his whole feeling for music and melody. How he does it on a harmonica, nobody will ever know. I have stopped trying to figure it out."[2] Thielemans had worked with singer-songwriter Paul Simon and introduced his ballad "I Do It for Your Love" (from the album Still Crazy After All These Years) to Evans, who reharmonized it, recorded it here as the opening track, and made it a prominent part of his repertoire during the last two years of his life.[3] Affinity also features a new version of "Blue in Green" from Kind of Blue, although it is mislabeled as "Blue And Green" on the back cover.[4]
In addition, the album includes the Henry Mancini song "Days of Wine and Roses," which Evans had previously recorded with Tony Bennett; "The Other Side of Midnight" (aka "Noelle's Theme") by Michel Legrand, whose works appear on many of the pianist's albums from this period; and Evans's only recording as a leader of the widely covered jazz classic "Body and Soul."[5]
Reception
[edit]With the exception of a four-star Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide review,[6] the majority of critical reactions to Affinity came significantly after its original release. Overall, reviewers maintain positive views of this work. Scott Yanow on AllMusic calls it "Excellent if not essential music that Evans generally uplifts."[7]
And Evans biographer Keith Shadwick says that "Thielmans's unabashedly emotional playing and his forthright approach spurs Evans into some of his most assertive piano playing on record. ... Thielemans is at his most persuasive on 'Body and Soul', using his full, lush tone, and Evans is strikingly imaginative in his accompaniment."[8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [10] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [11] |
Track listing
[edit]- "I Do It for Your Love" (Paul Simon) – 7:16
- "Sno' Peas" (Phil Markowitz) – 5:51
- "This Is All I Ask" (Gordon Jenkins) – 4:14
- "Days of Wine and Roses" (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) – 6:40
- "Jesus' Last Ballad" (Gianni Bedori) – 5:52
- "Tomato Kiss" (Larry Schneider) – 5:17
- "The Other Side of Midnight (Noelle's Theme)" (Michel Legrand) – 3:17
- "Blue And Green" (aka "Blue in Green") (Miles Davis, Bill Evans) – 4:09
- "Body & Soul" (Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green) – 6:16
Personnel
[edit]- Bill Evans – keyboards
- Toots Thielemans – harmonica
- Marc Johnson – bass
- Eliot Zigmund – drums
- Larry Schneider – flute, soprano saxophone, & tenor saxophone
Production notes
- Helen Keane – producer
- Frank Laico – engineer
Chart positions
[edit]| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Billboard Jazz Albums | 18 |
References
[edit]- ^ Pettinger, Peter, Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Yale University Press, 1998, p. 258.
- ^ Pettinger, p. 258.
- ^ Pettinger, p. 258.
- ^ "Bill Evans & Toots Thielemans - Affinity (1978) - back," https://cover.box3.net/index.php?pid=cove2&p=v&rid=162227&&por=2&mod=back, Covers, Accessed 2 May 2025.
- ^ "Bill Evans Discography," https://www.jazzdisco.org/bill-evans/discography/, Accessed 2 May 2025.
- ^ Swenson, John (1985). The Rolling stone jazz record guide (1st ed.). New York: Rolling Stone. ISBN 039472643X. OCLC 10878740.
- ^ "Affinity - Bill Evans | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- ^ Shadwick, Keith, Bill Evans: Everything Happens to Me, Backbeat Books, 2002, p. 182.
- ^ Yanow, S. Allmusic Review, accessed July 22, 2011.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 74. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 458. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
