We lost the amazing Tony Bennett in 2023. Much has been said about his career but not much about his association with Bill Evans, who died in 1980. We will change that.
Award-winning pianist, composer, and singer Larry McDonough celebrates the two recordings of legendary pianist and composer Bill Evans and vocalist Tony Bennett. Evans rarely performed with singers, so it was big news to some in the jazz community when Evans and Bennett recorded and released “The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album” in 1975. The album included pieces each had done separately, such as Waltz for Debby (Evans) and The Touch of Your Lips (Bennett). In 1976 they recorded “Together Again” for release in 1977.
Both albums showed Evans’ skill in accompanying a vocalist while adding the complexities that he displayed in his solo and ensemble performances, and exhibited Bennett’s expressive range from bold and commanding to soft and delicate. Unfortunately, the albums flew under the radar screen of the larger jazz scene jazz with the popularity of the jazz fusion of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, Miles Davis, and John McLaughlin.
This is not a traditional “tribute” show where musicians imitate great artists. No one sings like Bennett and no one plays like Evans. Each piece they recorded together will be presented with beginnings similar to the recorded versions, but where they go from there cannot be predicted.
McDonough takes on the challenging roles of both Evans and Bennett to educate younger listeners about these great artists and to remind seasoned listeners of this pair who never recorded together again. Evans died in 1980. Tony Bennett is 90 years old, lives in New York City, and continues to perform.
McDonough brings Bennett and Evans back to life in a solo show covering their music and personal lives that has filled the jazz rooms. The show includes piano and voice, spoken word, and commentary on the lives of Bennett and Evans. In “You Must Believe in Spring,” you hear what Evans and Bennett did and what might have been.
McDonough uses social media extensively and receive good coverage by conventional media. He brings good crowds to venues.
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Audio and Video
●
Larry McDonough
○You Must Believe in Spring by Michel Legrand, Marilyn Bergman, Alan Bergman, and Jacques Demy from Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures (voice and quartet)
○Some Other Time by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green, from Best of the Aster Classic Jazz Series (voice and quartet)
●Tony Bennett and Bill Evans
Here are a couple of great finds on YouTube about Bennett and Evans.
○Film composer Evan Evans, son of Bill Evans, posted a video of interviews with Bennett and others about the collaboration.
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Reviews
“The Evans family is so grateful that Larry McDonough has chosen to remember my late husband Bill Evans. I like what Max Gordon said about Bill Evans in his book concerning his experiences as owner of the famed Village Vanguard club, where Bill eventually became a regular: ‘The first time Bill Evans played the Village Vanguard, he was the intermission pianist for the Modern Jazz Quartet. The room was quiet when they played. When Bill Evans played the MJQ fans wondered, ‘Who the hell was that?' They'd never heard of him. He was filling space in between for the star attraction. Today Bill is the star attraction. When Bill Evans plays, the Village Vanguard becomes Town Hall.’”
Nenette Evans
Widow of Bill Evans and Executor of the Bill Evans Estate
“I had never heard of Larry McDonough Jazz before learning a few days ago about his show at Martuni’s. It turns out that he’s visiting from Minnesota. When I saw his event notice on Facebook, I honestly couldn’t believe that there would be a show about Bill Evans—if I could choose one jazz musician to have a show about, it would be him. I only discovered his music when the Covid quarantine began, but since then he’s become my favorite person to listen to.
Some people say his piano music is sad. I find it keeps me in good company! Larry loves sharing his love of the music. He also introduces each song. He gave the backstory for key moments in Bill’s artistic life.”
Robert Estes
San Francisco
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Larry McDonough
Larry McDonough is an award-winning St. Paul jazz composer, pianist, singer, and teacher, performing around the world and recording with his group the Larry McDonough Quartet as well as solo, and in duos and trios. He has performed with legendary saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, Trombonist Fred Wesley, and trumpeter Duane Eubanks, as well as a who’s who of local jazz artists, and was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame for his work in the group Danny’s Reasons. His awards include the American Composers Forum Showcase Award for the composition “Strait of Gibraltar.” He has released twelve CDs and DVDs as a leader. His current CDs are “Best of the Aster Classic Jazz Series” and “Intermodulating Undercurrents Live at the Kos: The Music of Bill Evans and Jim Hall.” “Kind of Bill on the Palace Grounds, Marking 40 Years since the Death of Bill Evans,” was played on jazz radio stations and streaming services around the country. The two-CD set “Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures” has played on radio stations and streaming services around the world and charted #18 on the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Jazz Album Chart. “Simple Gifts” reached number 29 on the CMJ Jazz Chart and also has been played on hundreds of stations around the country and throughout the world. His other jazz projects include Fusebox (original jazz fusion trio) and Trios Trio (classic jazz). When not playing jazz, he performs jam fusion in Quantum Mechanics, funk in Funkin’ Right, classic rock in Whiskey Burn, indie-rock in HiFi, Steely Dan covers in Steely Ann, and punk in Saint Small.
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Contact Information
Larry McDonough
Larry McDonough Jazz
651-398-8053
