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

[robert <harpbob@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks for this Mick..."Affinity" changed my life.
WVa Bob

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 6, 2014, at 1:56 PM, "Mick Zaklan" <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>   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