The new Bill Evans "Omnibook"

[Jazz+]

The Bill Evans Omnibook at Amazon

Amazon gives a generous "Look inside" preview of the first two pieces (click on tab in upper left corner of the book image).

How many of these transcriptions have already been released in other Bill Evans' transcription books? They don't name a transcriber for this Omnibook collection. It seems it may be a compilation of many other previous books. Though it's nice to half them all in one thick book, I think I already have them in the closet.

 

Includes: Alice in Wonderland * Autumn Leaves * Bill's Hit Tune * Blue in Green * Days of Wine and Roses * Emily * Everything Happens to Me * Five * For Nenette * How About You? * How My Heart Sings * I Loves You, Porgy * It Could Happen to You * Just You, Just Me * Letter to Evan * My Foolish Heart * My Funny Valentine * My Romance * Nardis * Night and Day * One for Helen * Peace Piece * Peri's Scope * Quiet Now * Re: Person I Knew * Skating in Central Park * A Sleepin' Bee * Some Other Time * Stella by Starlight * Song from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless) * 34 Skidoo * Time Remembered * The Touch of Your Lips * Turn Out the Stars * Very Early * Waltz for Debby * What Kind of Fool Am I? * Who Can I Turn to (When Nobody Needs Me) * You Go to My Head * You Must Believe in Spring * and more. Spiral bound.

 

 

[J_tour]

The Bill Evans Omnibook at Amazon

Amazon gives a generous "Look inside" preview of the first two pieces (click on tab in upper left corner of the book image).

How many of these transcriptions have already been released in other Bill Evans' transcription books? They don't name a transcriber for this Omnibook collection. It seems it may be a compilation of many other books. Though it's nice to half them all in one thick book, I think I already have them in the closet.

 

Includes: Alice in Wonderland * Autumn Leaves * Bill's Hit Tune * Blue in Green * Days of Wine and Roses * Emily * Everything Happens to Me * Five * For Nenette * How About You? * How My Heart Sings * I Loves You, Porgy * It Could Happen to You * Just You, Just Me * Letter to Evan * My Foolish Heart * My Funny Valentine * My Romance * Nardis * Night and Day * One for Helen * Peace Piece * Peri's Scope * Quiet Now * Re: Person I Knew * Skating in Central Park * A Sleepin' Bee * Some Other Time * Stella by Starlight * Song from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless) * 34 Skidoo * Time Remembered * The Touch of Your Lips * Turn Out the Stars * Very Early * Waltz for Debby * What Kind of Fool Am I? * Who Can I Turn to (When Nobody Needs Me) * You Go to My Head * You Must Believe in Spring * and more. Spiral bound.

 

 

No kidding. I was just fooling around last night/this morning with the *New Jazz Conceptions* and was knocked out, once again, by how much technique he brought to the piano, and by how relatively early he had his thing all together.

 

I mean, I don't know that this book has all this, but how to move with tunes like "Easy Living," or "I Love You" and get it all done. Movement of the voicings, harmony, some stuff worked out ahead of time, likely. I'm not a bit ashamed to still take a page out of his style, just get some new ideas or find some technical bits I can work on, you know, as an adjunct to running scales or whatever.

 

Yeah.

 

I know there've been reasonably accurate (as far as it seems to me, I'm not a scholar of Bill's music) of, speaking of traditional tunes, "Five," and "Peri's Scope," and, pretty much everything from the late 1950s-mid 1960s. A lot done in the several books for Hal Leonard, pretty sure.

 

It would be a pretty good for a budding young scholar to see what's been put on the page.

 

 

 

[Josh Paxton]

It is probably a compilation of transcriptions from older Hal Leonard books. That's pretty much how they roll.

[Bobadohshe]

That's interesting. There are a number of books that were on Warner Bros which would mean they are under the Alfred umbrella and not Hal Leonard. So it's possible this 'omnibus' is only some of what's really available.

[16251]

I've been working on Make Someone Happy for the last couple of weeks. Still moves me every time.

[miden]

oooh!! thx heaps for the headsup - definitely worth getting (I'll hope copyright doesn't restrict it to just the US)

[cedar]

I have countless charts and transcriptions of Bill Evans tunes, and will be surprised if there is much in the book for me. But I'll probably get it nonetheless.

[Outkaster]

That's cool. Man he was awesome. I may order it as my teacher is a huge fan and has studied a lot of his inside voicing.

[Reezekeys]

A nice resource for those studying Bill. Most of each chart looks to be a transcription of his solo, which I suppose is cool to see but I am not a believer in playing other people's solos. I'm not sure what an aspiring jazz player would get out of it. OTOH, listening to, appreciating and enjoying them are a much different thing and those I've done a lot of! I've gotten a lot of inspiration from "osmosing" (is that a word?) other players' styles, including soloing, comping and voicing strategies. Reading & playing someone else's solo seems strange to me, unless it's to build sight-reading skills. The magic that originally produced the solo â what went on in the improviser's mind as he or she played â is a completely different mental process from simply reading a piece of music that's already been laid out for you. If someone can get a piece of that magic by reading another's solo then I am truly impressed, it just doesn't work for me. I would rather appreciate Bill's solos by listening to them, not trying to play them. What would be cool, I think, is a Bill Evans book with just the heads of the tunes, showing his voicings and chord substitutions. Does one exist? For a while now I've been thinking of transcribing his version of Alfie (and I note that it's not in this book). I'll share it when it's done.

[timwat]

What would be cool, I think, is a Bill Evans book with just the heads of the tunes, showing his voicings and chord substitutions. Does one exist? For a while now I've been thinking of transcribing his version of Alfie (and I note that it's not in this book). I'll share it when it's done.

 

+1 +1 +1 !!!!!!!

 

I would find that soooooo priceless, and of so much greater use to me than tx of solos.

 

Tim

 

[pinkfloydcramer]

For a while now I've been thinking of transcribing his version of Alfie (and I note that it's not in this book). I'll share it when it's done.

 

That transcription is in a book I have, "The Artistry of Bill Evans" (CPP/Belwin). Transcriptions by Pascal Wentzel seem to be very accurate. The only common songs with Omnisphere, are "Emily" and "You Must Believe In Spring".

[hirsute]

A nice resource for those studying Bill. Most of each chart looks to be a transcription of his solo, which I suppose is cool to see but I am not a believer in playing other people's solos. I'm not sure what an aspiring jazz player would get out of it. OTOH, listening to, appreciating and enjoying them are a much different thing and those I've done a lot of! I've gotten a lot of inspiration from "osmosing" (is that a word?) other players' styles, including soloing, comping and voicing strategies. Reading & playing someone else's solo seems strange to me, unless it's to build sight-reading skills. The magic that originally produced the solo â what went on in the improviser's mind as he or she played â is a completely different mental process from simply reading a piece of music that's already been laid out for you. If someone can get a piece of that magic by reading another's solo then I am truly impressed, it just doesn't work for me. I would rather appreciate Bill's solos by listening to them, not trying to play them. What would be cool, I think, is a Bill Evans book with just the heads of the tunes, showing his voicings and chord substitutions. Does one exist? For a while now I've been thinking of transcribing his version of Alfie (and I note that it's not in this book). I'll share it when it's done.

 

It looks like the same format at the Oscar Peterson Omnibook, and if that's true, you're correct about the format--it will be transcriptions of solos or entire songs, but just of Bill's part, and not necessary a solo piano chart. So, these aren't "play alone" transcriptions. I use the Oscar Peterson book for study, and I suspect I'll do the same with this one. I find it valuable to see a transcription of a solo and then learn to play it and also study it. I pick up a ton of ideas this way--little licks I can play, alternate voicings, substitute chords, transitions between changes, etc., but also the overall musicality and approach to a piece of music and series of changes. For me, it's fruitful study and gives me good ideas which I incorporate into my own playing--not as "quotes" or ripping off sections of these solos, but a building blocks for my own ideas.

[miden]

What would be cool, I think, is a Bill Evans book with just the heads of the tunes, showing his voicings and chord substitutions. Does one exist? For a while now I've been thinking of transcribing his version of Alfie (and I note that it's not in this book). I'll share it when it's done.

 

+1 +1 +1 !!!!!!!

 

I would find that soooooo priceless, and of so much greater use to me than tx of solos.

 

Tim

 

Yep, totally!

[Reezekeys]

My googling has found some sheet music sites with Bill's version of Alfie. From the sample they look pretty accurate so I may save myself some time and fork over the ~$5. Judging by the # of pages they also include his solo.

 

https://www.sheetmusicnow.com/products/alfie-p276826

 

https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0042960

[Outkaster]

I've largely eschewed these type of books for awhile now. Mainly because I write out my own stuff in notebooks. One is for lines, the other related to vocings, chordal ideas and such. The other reason is I have probably worked on close to 500 transcribed solos and different chord voicings out of books - both published and underground stuff.

 

What these type of books are best for imo is isolating 1,2,3 even 4 bar sections - depending on the difficulty- and transposing to all keys. I scanned a few of the pages previewed and saw a few spots that would interest me for transposing.

 

Yes as hirsute mentioned ( and welcome btw), internalizing the vocabulary - either by learning/memorizing a solo or transposing parts of the solo can be invaluable in developing your ideas.

 

The end goal of course is to apply this to a tune, or the tune that the solo is derived from. You can easily spend the same amount of time, if not more, learning, working on harmonizing the melody, the voice-leading and blowing on the changes to say "Very early". Personally I've been working on that tune for 35 years !

 

Whatever approach (listening/transcribing/ working on the written out stuff) "works for you" is very personal. I feel one has to follow their instincts in that regard.

 

And I agree that a book like this about Bill would be best served having it lead sheet form with just his voicings on the melody written out.

 

Dave I thought of getting it but I won't if you don't think it's a good idea. I am learning about lead sheets. We didn't have that in classical music so it's a world I am trying to get into a little more.

 

[Outkaster]

OK thanks I looked at the Alfie sheet. I mean I am able to follow it and can read. I think it's interesting though. Right now my teacher has me doing things like "One Note Samba". He is a Latin Jazz guy . He gives me a lead sheet and we go from there. He has a fake book of his own transcriptions. He also gave me "From Within" by Michel Camilo. It was a transcription from a few years ago he did.

[jerrythek]

I have a lot of books of transcriptions, and certainly a lot of Bill Evans stuff. I tend to work like Dave F in that I'm not trying to learn the whole solo. I pick up good voicings, LH comping approaches, and some lines from them when I need some new inspiration. I say "tend" because I am remiss in taking all that knowledge through the twelve keys, as diligently as I should.

 

I agree it depends on your level of playing... starting with easier to digest pianists is the way to go. Remember, Chick Corea said he started transcribing Horace Silver... Wynton Kelly is another great resource.

 

It is also imperative that anyone that wants to use these resources listens to the original recordings, to get a better sense of what is going on. Listen, and follow along with the score... it is impossible to accurately notate the feel and placement of the notes/chords without making the transcription incredibly complex to read, so there is an "averaging" of the rhythms. Only by listening will you truly understand how to make the music flow and swing.

 

Jerry

[miden]

Yeah it's the voicings that intrigue me and what I am after...i create my own solos so that side of things is of no matter to me. But he (BE) does have some cool voicings that are really tough to pick out on the listen.