Larry McDonough - Conversations with Bill Evans at The Back Room in Berkeley
Sunday, May 11 ยท 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. PDT
The Back Room
1984 Bonita Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-654-3808
Award-winning pianist, composer, and singer Larry McDonough brings legendary pianist and composer Bill Evans back to life in a solo show covering the music and personal life of Bill Evans that has filled rooms in across the country. The show includes piano and voice, spoken word, and commentary on the life of Bill Evans.
Evans performed on the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue" in 1959, the best-selling jazz album ever. His trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian introduced simultaneous improvisation and is regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. He received 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame. ...
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Larry McDonough - Conversations with Bill Evans at The Back Room in Berkeley
Sunday, May 11 ยท 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. PDT
The Back Room
1984 Bonita Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-654-3808
Award-winning pianist, composer, and singer Larry McDonough brings legendary pianist and composer Bill Evans back to life in a solo show covering the music and personal life of Bill Evans that has filled rooms in across the country. The show includes piano and voice, spoken word, and commentary on the life of Bill Evans.
Evans performed on the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue" in 1959, the best-selling jazz album ever. His trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian introduced simultaneous improvisation and is regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. He received 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.
McDonough will record the show for a future CD. Come for the show and be on the recording!
The Back Room Event and Tickets
https://events.humanitix.com/larry-mcdonough-conversations-with-bill-evans
Facebook Event
https://www.facebook.com/events/2023567328053662/
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Tickets from The Back Room
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/larry-mcdonough-conversations-with-bill-evans-tickets-1332142246319
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Children under 12 are free. Advance tickets are available here, or if the show is not sold out, you may purchase your tickets at the door before the show.
Doors open one half hour before show time. The Back Room accepts cash or Venmo only at the door.
The Back Room is an all-ages, BYOB (for those 21+) space, dedicated to (mostly) acoustic music of all kinds. You are welcome to bring your own food and beverages. The venue is ADA accessible. If you need more information or have any questions, please call 510-381-1997.
Please note: Although masks are no longer required, The Back Room strongly encourage their use to keep everyone safe in our intimate space.
Video
Very Early Performed by Larry McDonough
https://youtu.be/dJui5rJFTHo
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Bill Evans
Bill Evans was born William John Evans on August 16, 1929, and was one of the most influential jazz pianists in history. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, complex rhythms, and simultaneous improvisation of group members redefined groups, composition, and jazz pianists. He performed on the Miles Davis album โKind of Blueโ in 1959, the best-selling jazz album ever. His trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian introduced simultaneous improvisation and is regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. In 1963, Evans recorded Conversations with Myself, a solo album produced with over-dubbing technology allowing him to perform with himself. He later collaborated with the singer Tony Bennett on two critically acclaimed albums: The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album (1975) and Together Again (1977). His last trio included bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera. Evans died on September 15, 1980 at age 51 in New York City. He received 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Evans
Larry grew up listening and transcribing Evansโ music, having seen his live performances in the 1970s. His shows and recordings feature the music of Evans. Larry has become friends with Evansโ widow Nenette, who supports Larryโs projects and provides him with some of Bill Evansโ manuscripts. Larry is the only Minnesotan invited to study the Bill Evans Archive at the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies of Southeastern Louisiana University. Movie director Bruce Spiegel chose Larry to host Minnesota showings of his documentary film โBill Evans Time Remembered.โ Jazz curator Steve Kenny has called Larry the Bill Evans scholar of Minnesota.
Nenette Evans said: โThe 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: โThe 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, โWho 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.โโ
Here is some of the story of Bill Evans.
Bill Evans: Time Remembered โ Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzEZC70DzIg
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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 whoโs who of local jazz artists, and was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame for his work in the group Dannyโs Reasons. His awards include the American Composers Forum Showcase Award for the composition โStrait of Gibraltar.โ
He has released twelve CDs and DVDs as a leader. His current CDs are โBest of the Aster Classic Jazz Seriesโ and โIntermodulating Undercurrents Live at the Kos: The Music of Bill Evans and Jim Hall.โ โKind of Bill on the Palace Grounds, Marking 40 Years since the Death of Bill Evans,โ was played on jazz radio stations and streaming services around the country. The two-CD set โAlice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventuresโ has played on radio stations and streaming services around the world and charted #18 on the Roots Music Reportโs Top 50 Jazz Album Chart. โSimple Giftsโ 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 Funkinโ Right, classic rock in Whiskey Burn, indie-rock in HiFi, Steely Dan covers in Steely Ann, and punk in Saint Small.
http://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/Biography.html
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Contact information:
Larry McDonough
Larry McDonough Jazz
651-398-8053
mcdon056@umn.edu
http://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com
https://www.facebook.com/LarryMcDonoughJazz/
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http://twitter.com/larrymcdonough
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