Gil Evans is an elusive personality in a world of extroverts. It is hard to interview Gil. Ask him about his music and he becomes shy and non-specific. Talk about someone else and he is suddenly loquacious.
Periodically, since he first attracted attention in the jazz world, Gil Evans has made a statement and then retreated from the stage into a kind of musical hibernation into which he assimilates music and lets it work its way through his system. Then he emerges again with some new contribution.
Right after his Claude Thornhill days when he did his first important arranging, Gil Evans disappeared from the horizon. His statement with the French horns and the lacey saxophone patterns had been soft in texture, but nonetheless, important and certainly long-lasting.
Then with the early cool days, with Miles Davis and Gerry Mulligan, he emerged again, adopted the bop idiom to a middle-sized jazz group, developing more interesting textures of sound and then promptly retreated to hibernate some more. In the 50's, Gil Evans emerged again with Miles Davis, an association that has lasted down to the present time. It has produced a heady list of xtraordinarily beautiful albums including "Miles Ahead," "Sketches of Spain," music for a play which was never recorded and two memorable concerts both with Davis in New York and the University of California.
At that University of California concert (shortly after Gil Evans was awarded a Guggenheim grant for composition) I was struck by the obvious probing of Evans' musical interest into very experimental areas in contemporary music.

Basically Young's Savoy Master Takes, Blue Lester finds the svelte tenor innovator on a prime mix of sides from 1944 and 1949. As was the trend of most swing soloists by the mid-'40s, Young heads up a few different extended combos here, featuring the likes of pianist Johnny Guarnieri, trumpeter Jesse Drakes, drummer Cozy Cole, and old Basie bandmates Freddie Green and the Count himself. The numbers with Basie are particularly good, especially "I Don't Stand a Ghost of Chance With You" and "Back Home in Indiana." And for the topper, Young is heard in the company of the entire Basie band (Clyde Hart is on piano, though) for the three tracks that close things out. Not a bad place to start your Lester Young collection. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide

Дискография - дополнение к биографии гениального пианиста