This DVD from Efor Films begins with three tunes from a TV performance from a short-lived, local New Jersey-based cable show called "In the Jazz Set" that was taped in September 1971 for NJN. The trio with Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell did six tunes: Waltz For Debby, Gloria's Step, How My Heart Sings, Time Remembered and My Romance. The two Evans compositions "Time" and "Waltz" are not included here; I would guess that maybe clearances from the publishers were not either inquired about or perhaps too expensive, or not forthcoming. The quality is quite good, and the visual is interesting: a small studio set up like a small jazz club, with a small audience sitting around some small tables. It's that time in the early seventies of strange clothes and stranger haircuts. The camera is curious as a participant, as close-ups of each musician's hands on their instruments abound. The trio sounds comfortable, though maybe a tad edgy, perhaps due to the time constraints of television -- unlike a jazz club. Marty Morell is especially interesting here; he sounds fresh and fluid, pushing ahead with gentle, yet noticeable accents in sync with the bass and often adding spice to Evans' phrasing with his smooth onobtrusive cymbal work --, all in the right places. His solo spots and trading with Gomez in "My Romance" are exciting, yet never overbearing, and the sound is well-balanced. Gomez is efficent and pulses along nicely, yet it seems that these fine players are always trying to spark Bill on here. He sounds fine on the requisite Baldwin (Evans was then an endorser of the piano company, and required a Baldwin wherever he played), his innate connection between technique and execution never failed him -- but he seems more on automatic pilot than anything else. This TV segment is real period piece of sorts too, what with both Evans and Morell in their seriously long -hair period, the fashion of the time. (A very brief but fascinating interview with Bill conducted by host Chris Albertson is in the original show, but is not featured here.) Those familiar with the readily available Rhapsody Films DVD release "Jazz at the Maintenance Shop" will also appreciate this new DVD for it includes two selections from that 1979 performance that are not on that DVD--- pianist Jimmy Rowles' lovely tune, "The Peacocks" and Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way". Hooray! The sets were taped on January 30, 1979 at Iowa State University for Public Television, with Bill's working trio of Marc Johnson and Joe LaBarbera. As seen from his onstage comments in the original, Evans appeared testy and was quite unhappy with the piano provided, and rightly so. Notes in the upper two octaves or so are clearly out of tune, and this would have a profound effect on any good pianist's performance, and moreso for Bill Evans, whose intricately- pedaled tapestries and upper octave cascades -- and those sweeps up to the high-register and down for his luxurious endings are indisputably intrinsic to his very conception of style. Those who arranged the concerts should be readily ashamed of themselves, on account of the status Evans had already achived by then, let alone the fact that it was all being recorded for a PBS-TV broadcast. Nevertheless,any good professional pianist has been down this road often enough, and knows how to forge ahead and find musical ways to work around the dilemma, as Bill does here. Regardless, the richness and broader scope of his latter- period pianistic discoveries are still evidenced here, and it's a seriously good, if somewhat more sober trio outing. But the real jewel of this collection are the three tunes recorded in Barcelona, Spain with Johnson and LaBarbera in December 1979. Evans is in almost magical form, weaving impossibily lyrical beauty from his original tune, "Laurie". The choices he makes in his phrases and harmonic movement are full of air and heat and light, and they just breathe naturally. It all fits; it all works. The piano is exquisite, and the patented Evans touch responds accordingly. Marc on bass is totally tuned in on every bar and the performance has a life of it's own. One of the better versions of the M*A*S*H theme is here, with Evans' playful sixteen bars between every modulation sparkling with inventiveness. There seem to be occasional echoes of the kind of spirit that remind one of things Chick or McCoy might do, yet it's pure Bill. The video shows he's totally involved in the moment and enjoying the trio. A ten-minute "My Romance", the old barnburner that they used to close out a set, once again is true to form, as everyone has ample room to play out. Some versions in this period tended to get a bit out of control, but this one not as much, although it's certainly no less exciting. Bill's intro, which had gotten far more harmonically complex as the years progressed, is in itself at least 2-3 whole hour advanced harmony lessons for the advanced student. It is mind-boggling how his transition chords and the "chords between chords" move so logically, yet always surprise the educated ear. Besides the abrupt video endings and beginnings (mentioned in my other DVD review also), the obvious frustratration about this segment is the big black "box" that has been inserted over the video in the bottom left and top right hand corners with the company's logo and the words "Bill Evans Trio". I suspect this is a preventive measure, intended to dissude copiers and file sharers, but it's huge, and hard to look away from. As disturbing as this visual may be, it still can't take away from the majestic ambience of this concert, with all it's high inspiration and "controlled freedom" (as Bill often referred to his playing). One can only imagine how theb rest of the show was! Where's the rest of this one? The title of this DVD is a misnomer, since this is not quite an "evolution of a trio" but rather just two trios -- the well-oiled Gomez -Morrel unit in 1971 and two performances from 1979 with Johnson and LaBarbera, just months apart . But these segments (all in color) are a fine study in contrasts of the pianist, whose sheer artistry and singularly personal approach to jazz is revealed in different facets. In the NJ TV set, he shows his respectable chops and always bright linear strengths -- and this trio shines, even if Bill's own pet musical devices may be more to the forefront. In the Iowa segment, he plays remarkably yet sensitively, yet in a muscular and aggressive fashion, still very much in control of his musical thoughts-- despite a bit of a struggle with a faulty instrument. Some months later in Europe, he has the pleasure of a great Steinway that sings, and he virtually makes love to it with his music. All if this makes for a worthwhile DVD, since a lot of this footage is unfamiliar to most, and has been hard to get for a long time. As we view these performances, they can give many insights as to why the passion and the music of the soul that was Bill Evans is as significant -- and spiritually and musically rewarding -- now as it was back then.