Customer Reviews
"I Hear A Rhapsody" - By: Mr. B. A. D. Plowman, 21 Sep 2007 
At the time of writing, my knowledge of jazz is sporadic at best. I am slowly building up my jazz collection, which includes classics from Coltrane, Miles Davis, Mingus, Adderley & others. I think I can safely say, though, that UNDERCURRENT is the current "hot ticket" out of all my jazz discs.
The execution of these tunes couldn't be more minimal - just Evans' piano & Hall's guitar vibing off each other. The results could not be more perfect. Hall picks away effortlessly at his strings, making the guitar murmur softly one moment then chug away rhythmically the next. Evans' piano is lyrical & sublime - I've never heard such charismatic ivory tickling! I was chilling to this disc the other day, nodding my head to this oh-so-natural music & wishing I had half of Evans' talent.
My favourite pieces at the moment are Evans' own composition "Romain", which is an extraordinarily melancholy piece of NY bedsit music. I also love "Skating In Central Park" which sways along with gently caressed piano chords & a delightfully subdued guitar lead. This album never misses a beat though, to be honest. Even though it only features two instruments for the whole duration, it never ever becomes one-dimensional or repetetive. There's always a surprise round the corner!
This music is perfect to unwind to after a tough day. It is perfect to have onin the kitchen while cookin' up a feast. It is perfect to listen toin the company of a loved one. It is perfect to foot-tap to while supping on glass of scotch.
Did I mention that it's perfect?
Superb, sensitive rendering of some beautiful tunes. - By: Mr. Dominic L. Brown, 31 Dec 2005 This is the first of two superb albums recorded by legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans, & one of my favorite jazz guitarists Jim Hall, & it was recorded over two sessionsin April & May 1962. Arrangements simply for piano & guitar are rarein Jazz, & it is even more seldom that the results are truly inspiring & as musically worthwhile asin this case. It is usual for intuitive musical relationships to develop over a number of years, but here we find two musicians who clearly shared an immediate understanding.
Both men are on absolute top form here - Bill Evans was on fire throughout the early & mid sixties, & after the tragic death of his previous musical partner, virtuoso bass player Scott Le Faro (at the age of 23), he was searching for new directions. Jim Hall is a guitarist of tremendous skill & powerful technique, with a highly developed rhythmic & harmonic sense that shines through on this album. What is so special about the performances here is an almost telepathic anticipation of where the music is heading - both musicians
contribute equally, & there is a constant exchange of ideas, each reacting to the other with apparent ease, whatever the mood.
This is a brilliant jazz album, of great depth & tremendous atmosphere, & both players express some exceptional ideas. Highly recommended, & if this is your first experience of either of these incredible musicians, be warned! - It won't be your last. Do yourself a big favour & buy it today.
An Inspired Duo - By: MikeG, 26 Jan 2003 The partnership of Evans & Hall as an unaccompanied duo was an inspired one which produced two albums - this first one & the follow-up, Intermodulation. The two artists had muchin common. For example, both were concerned to produce music which had beauty, & even refinement, of sound with no lack of musical substance. Both liked to play quietly, with an emphasis on subtlety & understatement, although they could also 'swing' infectiously at almost any tempo. Both also had years of experience as sidemen or accompanistsin other people's groups & this made them particularly sensitive listeners, able to respond to & interact creatively with other soloists.
You can hear that kind of sensitivity & subtle interplay throughout this album, most obviously on the slower pieces but also on the fastest track, the original take of 'My Funny Valentine'. Listen especially to the wayin which Hall's guitar fillsin behind Evans's statement of the theme & then provides a driving rhythm under the pianist's improvisation.
My favourite track is Hall's 'Romain', a moody, rather sombre theme which inspires the most intense & emotive playing on the album. It has some particularly haunting interplay between the players & displays the 'singing' qualities they could draw out of their instruments, especially at the magical point where Hall's solo leads into Evans's. It's good to have the bonus of an alternate take of this number on the CD edition.
Undercurrent was always a rather special album; but it is superior as a CD, first because of its enhanced sound quality & the quiet background which this intimate, concentrated music needs, secondly because the bonus tracks on the CD provide the 'added value' of quality as well as quantity. The programme originally consisted, rather oddly, of five slow tempo tracks with one fast one. The addition of the mid-tempo swinger, 'Getting Sentimental Over You' & an alternate take of 'My Funny Valentine' creates a better balanced album, although an extra slow ballad from the session, 'Stairway to the Stars', is well worth having too.
It's an album which you can play, if you like, as a piece of chilled out background music which won't disturb the cat; but there's a lot going on under its polished surface to make it music to listen to, & to return to again & again.
