Bill Evans Trio featuring Stan Getz - But Beautiful

BUT BEAUTIFUL's blend of Evans's introspective piano and Getz's velvety tenor saxophone, backed by Evans's long-term trio members, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell, results in a romantic, exuberant take on the material.

The album was recorded live at the Laren International Jazz Festival in Holland and Jazz Middelheim in Belgium during the summer of 1974, where the infrequent collaborators created a magical sound. Especially radiant are the ballads, "But Beautiful," which was reportedly one of Evans's favorite songs, and Jimmy Rowles's haunting "The Peacocks." "Stan's Blues," however, belongs entirely to Getz, with the faintest piano chords at the beginning and then not a sound from Evans. Legend has it that Getz introduced the song without having rehearsed it with Evans, and that the pianist sat stony-faced throughout, with his hands off the keyboard. "Lover Man" suffers for its glossiness, but "Funkallero" makes it clear what kind of wild energy is possible from this group.

Personnel: Bill Evans (piano); Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Eddie Gomez (bass); Marty Morell (drums).
Engineers: Tinus Bruyn, Cees Van Der Gragt.
Recorded live at The Singer Concertzaal, Laren, Holland on August 9, 1974 and Middelheim, Antwerp, Belgium on August 16, 1974. Includes liner notes by Helen Keane.
Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1996, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).