[Harp-L] Toots/Bill Evans "Affinity" session background

[Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   Was reading the excellent bio by Paul de Barros on jazz pianist Marian
McPartland and it mentioned that Bill Evans was an early guest on her NPR
program, "Piano Jazz".  Being an Evans fan, I found the program on YouTube (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS1OVp2lQBs&list=RDkS1OVp2lQBs#t=0) and was
surprised to find that this interview took place right after Bill had
completed his "Affinity" recording session with Toots Thielemans.
   The idea that a harmonica player could show a DownBeat Hall of Fame jazz
pianist something new might seem far-fetched, but apparently Bill was so
taken with Toots' arrangement of "The Days of Wine and Roses" that
he demonstrated it to Marian and suggested she use it for her trio.  "Don't
think I won't," McPartland replies.  Bill also disclosed that Toots broke
into a polka while they were recording together.
    Many of us who own the "Affinity" recording consider it to be the
finest jazz harmonica recording of all time.  Curious as to whether Bill
and Toots ever went on the road together to support the LP/CD, I cracked
open my copy of Bill's biography a second time and went searching.
Apparently Evans preferred to record his working trios but was between
trios at this time and very open to some non-trio projects.  Which is how
the session came about (Toots reminisces about it on an interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_UlWWSF-FM
<https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AwrBT8DMRgtUWtwAgfxXNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGZyA3lmcC10LTMwMwRncHJpZANnQ2psWmU2bFNKV1hTLnhkNkZJdUlBBG5fcnNsdAMwBG5fc3VnZwMwBG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMwBHBxc3RyAwRwcXN0cmwDBHFzdHJsAzM3BHF1ZXJ5A3Rvb3RzIHRoaWVsZW1hbnMgImFmZmluaXR5IiBpbnRlcnZpZXcEdF9zdG1wAzE0MTAwMjUxODI-?p=toots+thielemans+%22affinity%22+interview&fr2=sb-top-search&fr=yfp-t-303>
at the 17:45 mark).   Warner Bros. did not spend much on its jazz artists
and Bill and Toots went their separate ways after the session.  Toots did
hook up with Bill afterwards in Holland and sat in for several tunes off
"Affinity," as well as "Bluesette" and "What Is This Thing Called
Love?" .  Apparently there was a radio broadcast of this( on TROS-Radio),
so someone probably has a live bootleg of it.  Toots also surprised Bill by
showing up on his doorstep one day with a Danish film crew.  Bill and Toots
were filmed playing together on Bill's tune, "Laurie," as part of a
television documentary on Toots.  I searched for it on YouTube, but
couldn't find it.  But apparently there are a handful of tunes out there
featuring both men together.  Plus outtakes from the album session;
including, perhaps, a polka!
   Sorry to see Toots officially retire, but I can't imagine how difficult
it must be to play a musical form as difficult as jazz on a wind instrument
in your 90's.  God bless the guy for going as long as he did with it.

Mick Zaklan