Editing Bill Evans (section)

== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Evans grew up in [[North Plainfield, New Jersey]], the son of Harry and Mary Evans ({{née|Soroka}}). His father was of [[Welsh people|Welsh]] descent and ran a golf course; his mother was of [[Rusyns|Rusyn]] ancestry and descended from a family of coal miners.<ref name="petrik">{{cite book | last = Petrik | first = Hanns E. | title = Bill Evans – Sein Leben, Seine Musik, Seine Schallplatten | publisher = OREOS Verlag | year = 1989 | isbn = 978-3-923657-23-0}} The quotes extracted from this book have been re-translated into English from the German original.</ref><ref name=Pat>{{cite web |url=http://www.harryevanstrio.com/The_Two_Brothers.pdf |title=The Two Brothers As I Knew Them: Harry and Bill Evans |first=Pat |last=Evans |year=2011 |publisher=Matt H. Evans }}</ref> The marriage was stormy because of his father's heavy drinking, gambling, and abuse.<ref name=NYTObit>{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=John S.|date=September 17, 1980|title=Bill Evans, Jazz Pianist Praised For Lyricism and Structure, Dies; 'In Touch With His Feelings' Trouble With Scales|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/09/17/archives/bill-evans-jazz-pianist-praised-for-lyricism-and-structure-dies-in.html|access-date=January 31, 2023|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="2broth">{{cite book
|first=Pat |last=Evans |year= 2011 |title=The two brothers as I knew them |url=http://harryevanstrio.com/The_Two_Brothers.pdf}}</ref> Bill had a brother, Harry (Harold), two years his senior, with whom he was very close.<ref name="2broth" />

Given Harry Evans Sr.'s destructive character, Mary Evans often left home with her sons to go to nearby [[Somerville, New Jersey|Somerville]], to stay with her sister Justine and the Epps family. There, Harry began piano lessons somewhere between the ages of five and seven with local teacher Helen Leland. Bill was thought to be too young for lessons, but he began to play what he had heard during his brother's instruction,<ref name="pettinger">{{harvnb|Pettinger|2002}}{{page needed|date=April 2021}}</ref>{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=9–10}} and soon both were taking piano lessons.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=10}}

Evans remembered Leland with affection for not insisting on a heavy technical approach, with scales and arpeggios. He quickly developed a fluent sight-reading ability, but Leland considered Harry a better pianist.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=10}} At the age of seven, Bill began violin lessons, and soon also flute and [[piccolo]]. He soon dropped those instruments, but it is believed they later influenced his keyboard style. He later named [[Mozart]], [[Beethoven]] and [[Schubert]] as composers whose work he often played.<ref name="interv harry" /> During high school, Evans came in contact with 20th-century music like [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]]'s [[Petrushka (ballet)|''Petrushka'']], which he called a "tremendous experience", and [[Darius Milhaud|Milhaud]]'s ''[[Suite provençale]]'', whose bitonal language he believed "opened him to new things." Around the same time came his first exposure to jazz, when 12 years old he heard [[Tommy Dorsey]] and [[Harry James]]'s bands on the radio. At the age of 13, Bill stood in for a sick pianist in Buddy Valentino's rehearsal band,{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=11–12}} where Harry was already playing the trumpet.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=11–12}}<ref name="Allmus" /> Soon he began to perform for dances and weddings throughout New Jersey, playing music like [[boogie-woogie]] and [[polka]]s for $1 per hour.<ref name="mcpar" /> Around this time, he met multi-instrumentalist [[Don Elliott]], with whom he later recorded. Another important influence was bassist George Platt, who introduced Evans to the theory of harmony.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=12–13}}

Evans also listened to [[Earl Hines]], [[Art Tatum]], [[Coleman Hawkins]], [[Bud Powell]], [[George Shearing]], [[Stan Getz]], and [[Nat King Cole]] among others. He particularly admired Cole.<ref>{{cite web |last1=from |first1=BillEvansArchive |title=Bill Evans - Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Broadcast (1977 Album) |date=April 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZDy3MQni78&start_radio=1&list=RDIZDy3MQni78 |via=YouTube |publisher=UMG, Warner/Chappell, EMI |access-date=August 6, 2018}}</ref> Evans attended [[North Plainfield High School]], graduating in 1946.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/222685129/ |title=High school bands to jazz things up at festival |newspaper=[[Courier News]] |location=Bridgewater, New Jersey |page=22 |date=April 14, 1988 |via=Newspapers.com |quote=It is named for jazz pianist Bill Evans, who graduated from North Plainfield High School in 1946.}}</ref>

{{Quote box |width=380px |align=right |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right
|quote = One night I got really adventurous on "[[Tuxedo Junction (song)|Tuxedo Junction]]" and I put in a little "ping!" you know, that wasn't written, and this was such an experience! To make music that wasn't indicated. That really got me into starting to want to think about how to make the music. |source = Interview with Harry Evans. c. 1965.<ref name="interv harry">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QdM0oxWOZw&feature=BFa&list=ULYEHWaGuurUk  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/5QdM0oxWOZw| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Interview with Harry Evans. c.1965 |date=October 20, 2007 |via=YouTube |access-date=September 13, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>}}

=== College, army, sabbatical year ===

{{Quote box |width=380px |align=right |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right
|quote =<!--quote from German Wikipedia, somebody please check-->I have always admired your [Magee's] teaching as that rare and amazing combination – exceptional knowledge combined with the ability to bring that same knowledge, that lies deep within the student, to life. You were certainly my biggest inspiration in college, and the seeds of the insights that you have sown, have in practice borne fruit many times over. |source = Bill Evans talking about Gretchen Magee<ref name="petrik" />}}
After high school, in September 1946, Evans attended [[Southeastern Louisiana College]] on a flute scholarship.<ref name="Cramer2009">{{cite book|last=Cramer|first=Alfred W.|title=Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century-Volume 2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r547AQAAIAAJ|access-date=August 10, 2012|date=May 2009|publisher=Salem Press|isbn=978-1-58765-514-2|page=423}}</ref><ref name="DuBose-Smith2005">{{cite book|last=DuBose-Smith|first=Darshell|title=African American Music Instruction Guide for Piano: Children, Beginners, Intermediate & Advanced Students|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zpy2hcX31j0C&pg=PA99|access-date=August 10, 2012|date=June 1, 2005|publisher=Amber Books Publishing|isbn=978-0-9749779-9-7|page=99}}</ref> He studied classical piano interpretation with Louis P. Kohnop, John Venettozzi, and Ronald Stetzel.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=16}} A key figure in Evans's development was Gretchen Magee, whose methods of teaching left a big imprint on his compositional style.

Around his third year in college, Evans composed his first known tune, "Very Early".<ref name="mcpar">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIfHtPwF8wY  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/GIfHtPwF8wY| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Interview with Marian McParland, late 1970s |via=YouTube |date=July 7, 2008 |access-date=September 13, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Around that time he also composed a piece called "Peace Piece".<ref name=Pat/> Years later, when asked to play it, he said it was a spontaneous improvisation and didn't know it. He was a founding member of SLU's Delta Omega chapter of [[Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia]], played [[quarterback]] for the fraternity's football team, and played in the college band. In 1950, he performed Beethoven's [[Piano Concerto No. 3 (Beethoven)|Piano Concerto No. 3]] on his senior recital, graduating with a [[Bachelor of Music]] in piano and a bachelor's in music education. Evans regarded his last three years in college as the happiest of his life.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=16–19}}

[[File:Bill Evans Graduation Concert.jpg|thumb|Program of Evans's graduation concert. April 24, 1950.]]
During college, Evans met guitarist [[Mundell Lowe]], and after graduating, they formed a trio with bassist [[Red Mitchell]]. The three relocated to New York City, but their inability to attract bookings prompted them to leave for [[Calumet City, Illinois]].{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=20}} In July 1950, Evans joined [[Herbie Fields]]'s band, based in Chicago. During the summer, the band did a three-month tour backing [[Billie Holiday]], including East Coast appearances at Harlem's [[Apollo Theater]] and shows in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. The band included trumpeter [[Jimmy Nottingham]], trombonist [[Frank Rosolino]] and bassist [[Jim Aton]]. Upon its return to Chicago, Evans and Aton worked as a duo in clubs, often backing singer [[Lurlean Hunter]]. Shortly thereafter, Evans received his [[Conscription|draft notice]] and entered the [[U.S. Army]].

During his three-year (1951–54) period in the Army,<ref name="Allmus" /> Evans played flute, piccolo, and piano in the [[United States Army Band|Fifth U.S. Army Band]] at [[Sheridan Reserve Center|Fort Sheridan]]. He hosted a jazz program on the camp radio station and occasionally performed in Chicago clubs, where he met singer [[Lucy Reed]], with whom he became friends and later recorded. He met singer and bassist Bill Scott and Chicago jazz pianist Sam Distefano (his bunkmate in their platoon), both of whom became Evans's close friends. Evans's stay in the Army was traumatic, however, and he had nightmares for years. As people criticized his musical conceptions and playing, he lost confidence for the first time.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=19–20}} Around 1953, Evans composed his best-known tune, "[[Waltz for Debby (song)|Waltz for Debby]]", for his young niece.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=37}} During this period, he began using recreational drugs, occasionally smoking marijuana.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=61}}

Evans was discharged from the Army in January 1954, and entered a period of seclusion triggered by the harsh criticism he had received. He took a sabbatical year and lived with his parents, where he set up a studio, acquired a grand piano and worked on his technique, believing he lacked the natural fluency of other musicians. He visited his brother, now in [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]], recently married and working as a conservatory teacher.<ref name="pettinger" />

=== Return to New York City ===
In July 1955, Evans returned to New York City and enrolled in the [[Mannes College of Music]] for a three-semester postgraduate course in music composition. He also wrote [[Musical setting|classical settings]] of poems by [[William Blake]]. Along with his studies, Evans played in low-profile "Tuxedo gigs" at the Friendship Club and the [[Roseland Ballroom]], as well as Jewish weddings, intermission spots, and over-40 dances. Better opportunities also arose, such as playing solo opposite the [[Modern Jazz Quartet]] at the [[Village Vanguard]], where one day he saw [[Miles Davis]] listening to him. During this period, Evans also met [[Thelonious Monk]].<ref name="pettinger" />

Evans soon began to perform in [[Greenwich Village]] clubs with [[Don Elliott]], [[Tony Scott (musician)|Tony Scott]], [[Mundell Lowe]], and bandleader [[Jerry Wald (musician)|Jerry Wald]]. He may have played on some of Wald's discs, but his first proven Wald recording is ''Listen to the Music of Jerry Wald'', which also featured his future drummer [[Paul Motian]].<ref name="pettinger" />

In early 1955, singer [[Lucy Reed]] moved to New York City to play at the Village Vanguard and [[The Blue Angel (New York nightclub)|The Blue Angel]], and in August she recorded ''The Singing Reed'' with a four-piece group that included Evans. During this period, he met two of Reed's friends: manager [[Helen Keane (jazz)|Helen Keane]], who became his agent seven years later, and [[George Russell (composer)|George Russell]], with whom he soon worked. That year, he recorded with <!-- guitarist plus trio -->guitarist [[Dick Garcia]] on ''A Message from Garcia'' for the [[Dawn Records (American label)|Dawn]] label. In parallel, Evans kept up his work with Scott, playing in Preview's Modern Jazz Club in Chicago during December 1956–January 1957, and recording ''The Complete Tony Scott''. After the ''Complete'' sessions, Scott left for a long overseas tour.<ref name="pettinger" />

=== Debut album ''New Jazz Conceptions'' ===
In September 1956, producer [[Orrin Keepnews]] was convinced to record the reluctant Evans by a demo tape [[Mundell Lowe]] played to him over the phone. The result was his debut album, ''[[New Jazz Conceptions]]'', featuring the original versions of "[[Waltz for Debby (song)|Waltz for Debby]]" and "Five".<ref name="pettinger" /> Eleven songs were recorded in the first session, including Evans' original composition "[[Waltz for Debby (song)|Waltz for Debby]]", which would prove to be his most recognized and recorded composition.<ref name="AMB">{{Cite web |date=August 27, 2004|title=Bill Evans: 1929–1980 |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/bill-evans-1929-1980-bill-evans-by-aaj-staff/|access-date=July 10, 2023|website=All About Jazz}}</ref> The album began Evans's relationship with [[Riverside Records]], and also marked the formation of the first Bill Evans trio with Teddy Kotick (bass) and [[Paul Motian]] (drums). [[AllMusic]] critic [[Scott Yanow]] said about the album: "Bill Evans' debut as a leader found the 27-year-old pianist already sounding much different than the usual Bud Powell-influenced keyboardists of the time... A strong start to a rather significant career."<ref name="AM">{{cite web |title=Bill Evans New Jazz Conceptions Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-jazz-conceptions-mw0002376242 |website=AllMusic |language=en |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228015155/http://www.allmusic.com/album/new-jazz-conceptions-mw0002376242 |archive-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref> David Rickert of [[All About Jazz]] noted the influence of Bud Powell and wrote "Even at this stage he had the chops to make this a good piano jazz album, but in the end it's not a very good Bill Evans album... There are glimpses of the later trademarks of Evans' style..."<ref name="AAJ">{{cite web |last1=Rickert |first1=David |title=Bill Evans: New Jazz Conceptions album review @ All About Jazz |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/new-jazz-conceptions-bill-evans-fantasy-jazz-review-by-david-rickert |website=All About Jazz |language=en |date=May 14, 2004}}</ref> Although a critical success that gained positive reviews in ''[[DownBeat]]'' and ''[[Metronome (magazine)|Metronome]]'' magazines, ''New Jazz Conceptions'' was initially a financial failure, selling only 800 copies the first year. "Five" was for some time Evans's trio farewell tune during performances.<ref name="pettinger" /> After the album's release, Evans spent much time studying [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J. S. Bach]]'s music to improve his technique.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=39}}

=== Work with George Russell ===
{{Quote box |width=380px |align=right |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right
|quote =It was one of those magic moments in your life when you expect a horror story, and the doors of heaven open up. I knew there and then he wasn't going to get away.|source = George Russell upon hearing Bill Evans for the first time.<ref name="pettinger" />}}
Evans met composer [[George Russell (composer)|George Russell]] during his tenure with Lucy Reed. Russell's first impression of Evans was negative ("this is going to be like pulling teeth all day"), but when he secretly heard Evans play, he completely changed his mind.<ref name="pettinger" /> Russell was then developing his magnum opus, the treatise ''[[Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization]]'', in which he argued that the [[Lydian mode]] was more compatible with [[tonality]] than the [[major scale]] used in most music. This was groundbreaking in jazz, and soon influenced musicians like [[Miles Davis]]. Evans, who was already acquainted with these ideas, began to work with Russell in 1956.<ref name="pettinger" />

By this time, [[RCA Victor]] had begun a series of recordings called ''Jazz Workshop'', and soon Russell, through the intervention of [[Hal McKusick]] and Jack Lewis, gained his own record date titled [[The Jazz Workshop]] and released in 1957. At that time, Russell assembled trumpeter [[Art Farmer]], guitarist [[Barry Galbraith]], bassist [[Milt Hinton]] and Bill Evans on piano for three recording dates, along with several rehearsal sessions. Initially, for these sessions, only the bassist was given a written part, while the rest were left, and, according to Farmer, "took the parts at home and tried to come to terms with them". The album took a year to make, and was successful enough to enable Russell to escape his penurious lifestyle.<ref name="pettinger" /> Evans performed a significant solo in "Concerto for Billy the Kid".<ref name="Allmus" />
<!--Insert German Wikipedia quote from the critics about Evans in "Concerto for Billy the Kid" and "All About Rosie"-->

In 1957, Russell was one of six composers (three jazz, three classical) [[Brandeis University]] commissioned to write a piece for its Festival of the Creative Arts in the context of the first experiments in [[third stream]] jazz. Russell wrote a suite for orchestra, "All About Rosie", that featured Evans, among other soloists.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=39}} "All About Rosie" has been cited as one of the few convincing examples of composed [[polyphony]] in jazz.<ref>{{cite book| last=Harrison| first=Max| title=The Brandeis Festival LP in A Jazz Retrospect| publisher=Quartet| year=1976| isbn=0-7043-0144-X| pages=[https://archive.org/details/jazzretrospect00harr/page/177 177–179]| url=https://archive.org/details/jazzretrospect00harr/page/177}}</ref> A week before the festival, the piece was previewed on TV, and Evans's performance was deemed "legendary" in jazz circles. During the festival performance, on June 6, Evans became acquainted with [[Chuck Israels]], who became his bassist years later.{{Sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=40}} During the Brandeis Festival, guitarist [[Joe Puma]] invited Evans to play on the album ''Joe Puma/Jazz''.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=41}}

[[File:Chet Baker (1955 portrait).jpg|thumb|right|[[Chet Baker]] worked with Evans on his album ''[[Chet (Chet Baker album)|Chet]]'' in 1958–1959.]]
That year, Evans also met bassist [[Scott LaFaro]] while auditioning him for a place in an ensemble led by trumpeter [[Chet Baker]], and was impressed. LaFaro joined his trio three years later.<ref name="interv lafaro">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIzbINNrqcQ  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/IIzbINNrqcQ| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=George Clabin interviews Bill Evans about Scott LaFaro in 1966 |date=August 13, 2011 |via=YouTube |access-date=September 13, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Evans also performed on albums by [[Charles Mingus]], [[Oliver Nelson]], [[Tony Scott (musician)|Tony Scott]], [[Eddie Costa]] and [[Art Farmer]].

=== Work with Miles Davis, ''Everybody Digs Bill Evans'', and ''Kind of Blue'' ===
{{Main|Kind of Blue}}
[[File:Miles Davis by Palumbo.jpg|thumb|right|[[Miles Davis]] in 1955, three years before meeting Evans.]]
In February 1958, at [[Miles Davis]]'s urging, Russell drove Evans over to the Colony Club in [[Brooklyn]], to play with [[Miles Davis Quintet|Davis' sextet]]. At this time, [[John Coltrane]], [[Cannonball Adderley]], [[Paul Chambers]] and [[Philly Joe Jones]] were the other members of Davis' group. [[Red Garland]] had recently been fired, and Evans knew he was not merely filling in for one night but auditioning to become the group's regular pianist. By the end of the night, Davis told Evans that he would be playing their next engagement in [[Philadelphia]].<ref name=milesbill>{{cite journal | last =Kahn | first =Ashley | title =Miles Davis and Bill Evans: Miles and Bill in Black & White | journal =[[JazzTimes]] | date =September 2001 | url =https://jazztimes.com/archives/miles-davis-and-bill-evans-miles-and-bill-in-black-white/ | access-date =July 28, 2012}}</ref>{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=51–52}} The band had been known for playing a mixture of [[jazz standard]]s and [[bebop]] originals, but by the time Evans arrived, Davis had begun his venture into [[modal jazz]], having just released his album ''[[Milestones (Miles Davis album)|Milestones]]''.

Evans formally joined the Miles Davis group in April 1958. The band appeared in radio broadcasts on Saturday nights and, on May 3, the new formation made its first broadcast from [[Café Bohemia]] (its usual locale). The live radio appearance that was broadcast on May 17, 1958, and also released on the album titled ''Makin' Wax'', is known as the earliest documented evidence of the collaboration between Bill Evans and Miles Davis.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=53}} By mid-May, [[Jimmy Cobb]] replaced Philly Joe Jones, with whom Evans had developed a close friendship. On May 26, Evans made his first studio recordings with Davis, which were first issued as part of ''Jazz Track'',{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=54}} and later reissued on ''[[1958 Miles]]''.

A performance of the [[Ballets Africains]] from [[Guinea]] in 1958 sparked Davis' interest in modal music. This music stayed for long periods of time on a single chord, weaving in and out of consonance and dissonance.<ref>{{cite book |last =Early |first =Gerald Lyn |title =Miles Davis and American Culture |publisher =Missouri Historical Society Press |year =2001 |isbn =1-883982-38-3 }}</ref> Another influence was [[George Russell (composer)|George Russell]]'s treatise. Both influences coalesced in Davis' conception of modal jazz offering an alternative to chord changes and major/minor [[key (music)|key]] relationships, relying instead on a series of modal scales. He realized that Evans, who had worked with Russell, could follow him into modal music. At the same time, Evans introduced Davis to twentieth-century classical composers such as [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]], [[Maurice Ravel]], and [[Aram Khachaturian]].<ref name="Allmus" />

The band's mostly black followers did not react favourably to the replacement of Garland with a white musician.<ref name="pettinger" /><ref name=milesbill /> Davis used to tease him and Evans's sensitivity perhaps let it get to him. However, the band began to find a new, smoother groove, as Adderley recalled: "When he started to use Bill, Miles changed his style from very hard to a softer approach."<ref name=milesbill />

{{Quote box |width=380px |align=right |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right
|quote =Bill had this quiet fire that I loved on piano. The way he approached it, the sound he got was like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall. I had to change the way the band sounded again for Bill's style by playing different tunes, softer ones at first.|source = Miles Davis<ref>{{cite book |author1=Davis, Miles |author2=Troupe, Quincy |title=Miles: The Autobiography |url=https://archive.org/details/milesautobiograp0000davi |url-access=registration |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1989 |isbn =0-671-63504-2}}</ref>  }}

In July 1958, Evans appeared as a sideman on Adderley's album ''[[Portrait of Cannonball]]'', featuring the first performance of "[[Nardis (composition)|Nardis]]", specially written by Davis for the session. While Davis was not very satisfied with the performance, he said that from then on, Evans was the only one to play it in the way he wanted. The piece came to be associated with Evans's future trios, which played it frequently.<ref name="pettinger" />

By the end of the summer, Davis knew Evans was quickly approaching his full professional development; and that he would soon decide to leave Davis' group.<ref name=milesbill /> This year, Evans won the ''[[DownBeat]]'' International Critics' Poll for his work with Davis and his album ''New Jazz Conceptions''.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=65}}

In September 1958, Evans recorded as a sideman in Art Farmer's album ''[[Modern Art (Art Farmer album)|Modern Art]]'', also featuring [[Benny Golson]]. All three had won the ''DownBeat'' poll.{{Sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=65}} Later, Evans deemed this record as one of his favorites. During this period, despite all the successes, Evans was visiting a psychiatrist, as he was unsure whether he wanted to continue as a pianist.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=66}}

Evans left Davis' sextet in November 1958 and stayed with his parents in Florida and his brother in [[Louisiana]]. While he was burned out, one of the main reasons for leaving was his father's illness.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=66}} During this sojourn, the always self-critical Evans suddenly felt his playing had improved. "While I was staying with my brother in Baton Rouge, I remember finding that somehow I had reached a new level of expression in my playing. It had come almost automatically, and I was very anxious about it, afraid I might lose it."{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=66}}

Shortly after, he moved back to New York, and in December Evans recorded the trio album ''[[Everybody Digs Bill Evans]]'' for Riverside Records with bassist [[Sam Jones (musician)|Sam Jones]] and drummer Philly Joe Jones. This was Evans's second album as a leader, the first since ''New Jazz Conceptions'', recorded two years earlier. While producer Orrin Keepnews had many times tried to persuade Evans to make a second trio recording, the pianist felt he had nothing new to say&nbsp;... until then. He had also been too busy traveling with Davis to make a record.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=67}}

[[File:Bill Evans Peace Piece.png|thumb|left|Evans built "Peace Piece" on a simple one-bar ostinato left-hand figure in C major. Over this static harmonic frame, he freely improvised melodies.]]
One of the pieces to appear on the album was [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s "Some Other Time". Evans started to play an introduction using an [[ostinato]] figure. However, according to Keepnews, who was present, the pianist spontaneously started to improvise over that harmonic frame, creating the recording that would be named "Peace Piece". According to Evans: "What happened was that I started to play the introduction, and it started to get so much of its own feeling and identity that I just figured, well, I'll keep going." However, Gretchen Magee claims that the piece had been penned as an exercise during his college years, while Peri Cousins says that he would often play the piece at home.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=68–69}}

Evans returned to the Davis sextet in early 1959, at the trumpeter's request, to record ''[[Kind of Blue]]'', often considered the best-selling jazz album of all time.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine |last=Light |first=Alan |title=The All-Time 100 Albums |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=November 2, 2006 |url =http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20061117045106/http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/ |url-status =dead |archive-date =November 17, 2006 |access-date=August 19, 2008}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite magazine |title=500 Greatest Albums of all Time |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |year=2003 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time |access-date=August 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104131142/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time/ |archive-date=January 4, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

As usual, during the sessions of ''Kind of Blue'', Miles Davis called for almost no rehearsal and the musicians had little idea what they were to record. Davis had given the band only sketches of scales and melody lines on which to improvise. Once the musicians were assembled, Davis gave brief instructions for each piece and then set about taping the sextet in studio.<ref name="KOB notes" />

During the creative process of ''Kind of Blue'', Davis handed Evans a piece of paper with two chords—G minor and A augmented—and asked "What would you do with that?" Evans spent the next night writing what would become "[[Blue in Green]]". However, when the album came out, the song was attributed exclusively to Davis. When Evans suggested he might deserve a share of the royalties, Davis offered him a check for $25.<ref name="pettinger" /><ref>The liner notes to ''Bill Evans – The Complete Riverside Recordings'', published in 1984, give credit to both Evans and Davis ((Davis-Evans) Jazz Horn Music/Warner-Tamerlane Publ. — BMI).</ref> Evans also penned the liner notes for ''Kind of Blue'', comparing jazz improvisation to [[Japanese art|Japanese visual art]].<ref name="KOB notes">{{cite web |author=Bill Evans |url=http://www.billevanswebpages.com/kindblue.html |title=Liner notes |work=Kind of Blue |year=1959 |access-date=December 18, 2007 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729085321/https://www.billevanswebpages.com/kindblue.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the fall of 1959, Evans had started his own trio with [[Jimmy Garrison]] and [[Kenny Dennis]], but it was short-lived.<ref name="interv lafaro" />

Sometime during the late 1950s, most probably before joining Miles Davis, Evans began using heroin. Philly Joe Jones has been cited as an especially bad influence in this aspect.<ref name="pettinger" /><ref name="big love" /> Although Davis seems to have tried to help Evans kick his addiction, he did not succeed.

Evans's first long-term romance was with a black woman named Peri Cousins (for whom "Peri's Scope" was named), during the second half of the 1950s. The couple had problems booking in hotels during Evans's gigs, since most of them did not allow inter-racial couples. By the turn of the decade, Evans had met a waitress named Ellaine Schultz, who would become his partner for twelve years.<ref name="big love" />

=== Piano trios featured on commercially released recordings ===
{{Multiple image|perrow=3|total_width=550
| image1 = 
| image2 = 
| image3 = 
| footer = [[Sam Jones (musician)|Sam Jones]] performed with Bill Evans trio in 1958, [[Paul Chambers]] performed with Bill Evans trio in 1959, [[Scott LaFaro]] performed with Bill Evans trio in 1960–1961
}}
[[File:Jack DeJohnette.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[Jack DeJohnette]] performed with Bill Evans trio at the [[Montreux Jazz Festival]] and other events]]
[[File:Joe LaBarbera.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[Joe LaBarbera]] performed with Bill Evans trio in 1979–1980]]
[[File:Chuck Israels.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[Chuck Israels]] performed with Bill Evans trio in 1962–1966]]
[[File:Eddie1.png|thumb|150px|right|[[Eddie Gomez]] performed with Bill Evans trio in 1964–1974]]
{| class="wikitable"
|1956
|with [[Teddy Kotick]] (bass), [[Paul Motian]] (drums)
|-
|1958
|with [[Sam Jones (musician)|Sam Jones]] (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) ''(studio group only)''
|-
|1959
|with [[Paul Chambers]] (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums) ''(studio group only)''
|-
|1960–1961
|with Scott LaFaro (bass), Paul Motian (drums)
|-
|1962
|with [[Chuck Israels]] (bass), Paul Motian (drums)
|-
|1962
|with Monty Budwig (bass), Shelly Manne (drums) ''(studio group only)''
|-
|1963–1965
|with Chuck Israels (bass), Larry Bunker (drums)
|-
|1964
|with [[Gary Peacock]] (bass), Paul Motian (drums)
|-
|1966
|with Chuck Israels (bass), Arnold Wise (drums)
|-
|1966
|with [[Eddie Gómez]] (bass), Shelly Manne (drums) ''(studio group only)''
|-
|1967
|with Eddie Gómez (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums)
|-
|1967–1968
|with Eddie Gómez (bass), [[Jack DeJohnette]] (drums)
|-
|1968–1974
|with Eddie Gómez (bass), Marty Morell (drums)
|-
|1976–1977
|with Eddie Gómez (bass), Eliot Zigmund (drums)
|-
|1978
|with Michael Moore (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums)
|-
|1979–1980
|with [[Marc Johnson (jazz musician)|Marc Johnson]] (bass), [[Joe LaBarbera]] (drums)
|}

==== Trio with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian ====
{{Quote box |width=380px |align=right |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right
|quote = We needed people that were interested in each other, so that we could spend a year or two just growing, without ambitions, just allowing the music to grow. And allowing our talents to merge in a very natural way.|source = Evans in interview with George Clabin, 1966<ref name="interv lafaro" />}}

In mid-1959, Evans was performing at [[Basin Street East]], and was visited by bassist [[Scott LaFaro]], who was playing with singer and pianist [[Bobby Scott (musician)|Bobby Scott]] at a club around the corner.<ref>{{cite book |last=LaFaro-Fernández |first=Helene |title=Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro |publisher=University of North Texas Press |year=2009 |pages=102 }}</ref> LaFaro expressed interest in forming a trio, and suggested [[Paul Motian]], who had appeared on Evans's album [[New Jazz Conceptions]], as the drummer for the new group.<ref name="interv lafaro" /> The trio with LaFaro and Motian became one of the most celebrated piano trios in jazz{{Example needed|date=August 2022}}. With this group Evans's focus settled on traditional jazz standards and original compositions, with an added emphasis on interplay among band members. Evans and LaFaro would achieve a high level of musical empathy{{Explain|date=August 2022}}. In December 1959 the band recorded its first album, ''[[Portrait in Jazz]]'' for [[Riverside Records]].

In early 1960, the trio began a tour that brought them to Boston, San Francisco (at [[Jazz Workshop]]), and Chicago (at the [[Sutherland Hotel|Sutherland Lounge]]). After returning to New York in February, the band performed at [[The Town Hall (New York City)|Town Hall]] on a multi-artist bill, and then began a residency at [[Birdland (New York jazz club)|Birdland]]. While the trio did not produce any studio records in 1960, two bootleg recordings from radio broadcasts from April and May were illegally released in the early 1970s, which infuriated Evans.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|pp=98–99}} Later, they would be posthumously issued as ''The 1960 Birdland Sessions''.<ref name="pettinger" />

In parallel with his trio work, Evans kept working as a backing musician for other bandleaders. In 1960, he performed on singer [[Frank Minion]]'s album ''The Soft Land of Make Believe'', featuring versions of the ''Kind of Blue'' compositions "Flamenco Sketches" and "So What" with added lyrics. That year, he also recorded ''The Soul of Jazz Percussion'', with Philly Joe Jones and Chambers.<ref name="pettinger" />

In May 1960, the trio performed at one of the Jazz Profiles concerts, a series organized by Charles Schwartz. Around this time, Evans hired [[Monte Kay]] as his manager. During one of his concerts at the Jazz Gallery, Evans contracted [[hepatitis]], and went to his parents' house in Florida to recuperate. During this time period, Evans also participated in the recordings ''[[The Great Kai & J. J.]]'' and ''[[The Incredible Kai Winding Trombones]]'' for [[Impulse! Records]]. In May and August 1960, Evans appeared on George Russell's album ''[[Jazz in the Space Age]].'' In late 1960, he performed on ''Jazz Abstractions'', an album recorded under the leadership of [[Gunther Schuller]] and [[John Lewis (pianist)|John Lewis]].<ref name="pettinger" />

Evans' trio with Motian and LaFaro recorded ''[[Explorations (Bill Evans album)|Explorations]]'' in February 1961, the group's second and final studio album. According to Orrin Keepnews, the atmosphere during the recording sessions was tense, Evans and LaFaro having had an argument over extra-musical matters. Additionally, Evans was suffering at the session from headaches, and LaFaro was playing with a loaned bass.<ref name="pettinger" /> The disc features the Evans' first trio version of "Nardis", the Miles Davis piece Evans had recorded with Cannonball Adderley for Adderley's [[Portrait of Cannonball]] album in 1958. Apart from "Nardis" and "Elsa", the album consisted of jazz standards. After the recording sessions, Evans was initially unwilling to release the album, believing the trio had played badly. However, upon hearing the recording, he changed his mind, and later thought of it in very positive terms.<ref name="interv lafaro" /> In February 1961, shortly after the ''Explorations'' sessions, he appeared as a sideman in [[Oliver Nelson]]'s ''[[The Blues and the Abstract Truth]]''.

In late June 1961, Riverside recorded Evans' trio live at the Village Vanguard, which resulted in the albums ''[[Sunday at the Village Vanguard]]'', and ''[[Waltz for Debby (1961 album)|Waltz for Debby]].'' (Further recordings from this performance were issued in 1984 as ''More From The Vanguard.'')<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine=[[All About Jazz]] |last=Bailey |first=C. Michael | access-date =July 27, 2008|title=Best Live Jazz Recordings (1953–65) |url = http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=18619}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Penguin Guide To Jazz: "Five Star" Recordings |url=http://www.counterpoint-music.com/5star.html |publisher=Counterpoint |access-date=June 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708194317/http://www.counterpoint-music.com/5star.html |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Evans later showed special satisfaction with these recordings, seeing them as the culmination of the musical interplay of his trio.<ref name="interv lafaro" />

=== After LaFaro's death ===
The death of 25-year-old LaFaro in a car crash, ten days after the Vanguard performances, devastated Evans. He did not record or perform in public again for several months.

In October 1961, persuaded by his producer Orrin Keepnews, Evans returned to the musical scene on the [[Mark Murphy (singer)|Mark Murphy]] album ''[[Rah (Mark Murphy album)|Rah]]''. With new bassist Chuck Israels, they recorded in December a session for ''[[Nirvana (Herbie Mann and the Bill Evans Trio album)|Nirvana]]'', with flautist [[Herbie Mann]].<ref name="petrik" /> In April and May 1962, Evans completed the duo album, ''[[Undercurrent (Bill Evans and Jim Hall album)|Undercurrent]]'', with guitarist [[Jim Hall (musician)|Jim Hall]].

When he re-formed his trio in 1962, two albums, ''[[Moon Beams]]'' and ''[[How My Heart Sings!]]'' resulted. In 1963, at the beginning of his association with [[Verve Records|Verve]], he recorded ''[[Conversations with Myself (album)|Conversations with Myself]]'', an album which featured overdubbing, layering up to three individual tracks of piano for each song. The album won him his first [[Grammy award]].<ref name="grammys">{{cite book
|first=Thomas |last=O'Neil |year=1993 |title=The Grammys: For the Record |url=https://archive.org/details/grammysforrecord00onei |url-access=registration |edition=paperback |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn= 978-0-14-016657-6}}</ref>

Evans's heroin addiction increased following LaFaro's death. His girlfriend Ellaine Schultz was also an addict. Evans habitually had to borrow money from friends, and eventually, his electricity and telephone services were shut down. Evans said: "You don't understand. It's like death and transfiguration. Every day you wake in pain like death and then you go out and score, and that is transfiguration. Each day becomes all of life in microcosm."<ref name="Allmus">{{cite magazine|last=AAJ Staff |url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14599&pg=1 |title=Bill Evans: 1929–1980 |magazine=All About Jazz |access-date=April 9, 2012}}</ref><ref>Lees, Gene. ''Meet Me at Jim & Andy's: Jazz Musicians and Their World''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988 (Bill Evans).</ref>

Evans never allowed heroin to interfere with his musical discipline, according to a 2010 BBC record review article which contrasts Evans's addiction with that of [[Chet Baker]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Quinn|first=Michael|title=Chet Baker and Bill Evans The Complete Legendary Sessions Review|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/bpq4/|work=BBC Music|year=2010|access-date=April 18, 2017|quote=While both were peerless masters of their instruments and shared a rich, evocatively lyrical playing style that bordered beguilingly on the introspective, Baker and Evans were polar opposites when it came to the discipline of performance. Though both were heroin addicts, the musically-trained Evans never let it interfere with his meticulously precise flights of invention while the self-taught Baker became increasingly erratic and inconsistent.}}</ref> On one occasion while injecting heroin, Evans hit a nerve and temporarily disabled it, performing a full week's engagement at the Village Vanguard virtually one-handed.<ref name="pettinger" /> During this time, Helen Keane began having an important influence, as she gave significant assistance helping to maintain Evans's career despite his self-destructive lifestyle, and the two developed a strong friendship.<ref name="big love" />

In summer 1963, Evans and Schultz left their flat in New York and settled in his parents' home in Florida, where, it seems, they quit the habit for some time.<ref name="pettinger" /> Even though never legally married, Bill and Ellaine were, in all other respects, husband and wife. At that time, Schultz meant everything to Evans, and was the only person with whom he felt genuine comfort.<ref name="pettinger" />

Although he recorded many albums for Verve, their artistic quality has typically been viewed as uneven. Despite Israels' fast development and the creativity of new drummer [[Larry Bunker]], the album ''[[Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra]]'', featuring [[Gabriel Fauré]]'s ''[[Pavane (Fauré)|Pavane]]'' and works of other classical composers arranged by [[Claus Ogerman]], divided critical opinion. Some recordings in unusual contexts were made, such as a concert recording with a big-band recorded at [[The Town Hall (New York City)|Town Hall]], New York that was never issued owing to Evans's dissatisfaction with it (although the more successful jazz trio portion of the concert was [[Bill Evans at Town Hall|released]]). Live recordings and bootleg radio broadcasts from this time period represent some of the trio's better work.

In 1965, the trio with Chuck Israels and Larry Bunker went on a well-received European tour.

=== Bill Evans meets Eddie Gómez ===
In 1966, Bill Evans met Puerto-Rico born, [[Juilliard]]-graduated bassist [[Eddie Gómez (musician)|Eddie Gómez]]. In what turned out to be an eleven-year stay, Gómez sparked new developments in Evans's trio conception. One of the most significant releases during this period is ''[[Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival]]'' (1968), which won him his second Grammy award.<ref name="grammys" /> It has remained a critical favorite, and is one of two albums Evans made with drummer [[Jack DeJohnette]].

Other highlights from this period include "Solo – In Memory of His Father" from ''[[Bill Evans at Town Hall]]'' (1966), which also introduced "Turn Out the Stars"; a second pairing with guitarist Jim Hall, ''[[Intermodulation (album)|Intermodulation]]'' (1966); and the solo album ''[[Alone (Bill Evans album)|Alone]]'' (1968, featuring a 14-minute version of "Never Let Me Go"), that won his third Grammy award.<ref name="grammys" />

In 1968, drummer [[Marty Morell]] joined the trio and remained until 1975, when he retired to family life. This was Evans's most stable, longest-lasting group. Evans had overcome his heroin habit and was entering a period of personal stability.

Between 1969 and 1970, Evans recorded ''[[From Left to Right]]'', featuring his first use of electric piano.

Between May and June 1971, Evans recorded ''[[The Bill Evans Album]]'', which won two Grammy awards.<ref name="grammys" /> This all-originals album (four new), also featured alternation between acoustic and electric piano. One of these was "Comrade Conrad", a tune that had originated as a [[Crest toothpaste]] jingle and had later been reelaborated and dedicated to Conrad Mendenhall, a friend who had died in a car crash.{{sfn|Pettinger|2002|p=205}}

Other albums included ''[[The Tokyo Concert]]'' (1973); ''[[Since We Met]]'' (1974); and ''[[But Beautiful (Stan Getz & Bill Evans album)|But Beautiful]]'' (1974; released in 1996), featuring the trio plus saxophonist [[Stan Getz]] in live performances from the Netherlands and Belgium. Morell was an energetic, straight-ahead drummer, unlike many of the trio's former percussionists, and many critics feel that this was a period of little growth for Evans. After Morell left, Evans and Gómez recorded two duo albums, ''[[Intuition (Bill Evans album)|Intuition]]'' and ''[[Montreux III]]''.

In the early 1970s, Evans was caught at New York's [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] with a suitcase containing heroin. Although the police put him in jail for the night, he was not charged. However, both he and Ellaine had to begin [[methadone]] treatment.<ref name="big love" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jazzwax.com/2009/08/interview-laurie-verchomin-pt-5.html |title=Interview: Laurie Verchomin (Pt. 5) |publisher=JazzWax |date=August 21, 2009 |access-date=June 11, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714171456/http://www.jazzwax.com/2009/08/interview-laurie-verchomin-pt-5.html |archive-date=July 14, 2014 }}</ref>

In 1973, while working in [[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo Beach]], California, Evans met and fell in love with Nenette Zazzara, despite his long-term relationship with Ellaine Schultz.<ref name="pettinger" /> When Evans broke the news to Schultz she pretended to understand but then committed suicide by throwing herself under a subway train. Evans's relatives believe that Schultz's infertility, coupled with Bill's desire to have a son, may have influenced those events.<ref name="2broth" /> As a result, Evans went back on heroin for a while before resuming methadone treatment. In August 1973, Evans married Nenette, and, in 1975, they had a child, [[Evan Evans (film composer)|Evan]]. The new family, which also included Evans's stepdaughter Maxine, lived in a large house in [[Closter, New Jersey|Closter]], New Jersey.<ref name="pettinger" /> Both remained very close until his death.<ref name="pettinger" /> Nenette and Bill remained married until Evans's death in 1980.

In 1974, Bill Evans recorded a multimovement jazz concerto written for him by [[Claus Ogerman]] entitled ''Symbiosis''.

=== Collaboration with Tony Bennett ===

{{Quote box
| quoted = 1
| quote = There is an intriguing juxtaposition of opposites running through the music—Bennett the expansive, heart on sleeve, vibrato man, Evans the inward looking aesthete—which makes for charged listening, if charged is an adjective which can be applied to something so relaxed. And the projects were genuinely collaborative, with the artists on an equal footing: Evans solos wonderfully throughout and Together Again actually starts with a solo piano piece, "The Bad And The Beautiful", put there at Bennett's suggestion to emphasize that this wasn't just a vocalist-with-accompanist affair. ...By the time Bennett and Evans made the second album they'd been performing live together for a year and their partnership, comfortable enough though it was on the first album, is noticeably better oiled.
| source = — Chris May on ''[[The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings]]''<ref name="Bennett/Evans">{{Cite web |date=2009-07-12|title=Album review: Tony Bennett / Bill Evans: The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-complete-tony-bennett-bill-evans-recordings-tony-bennett-concord-music-group-review-by-chris-may/|first=Chris|last=May|access-date=July 10, 2023 |website=All About Jazz}}</ref>

| width = 25em
| align = right
| fontsize = 89%
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}}
During the mid-1970s Bill Evans collaborated with the singer [[Tony Bennett]] on two critically acclaimed albums: ''[[The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album]]'' (1975) and ''[[Together Again (Bennett and Evans album)|Together Again]]'' (1977).
It was Tony Bennett who initiated the collaboration with Bill Evans. The two musicians had mutual respect for each other's talent. Bennett and Evans performed together for about two years. Although Evans was using cocaine regularly during this period, he was reported sober when recording the albums with Bennett.<ref name="Bennett/Evans"/>

Both Bennett and Evans stated that it was not just a singer with accompanist affair, but rather a mutually stimulated creative effort to enhance some well known hits with a new twist on familiar melodies and harmonies. Harmonically sophisticated piano arrangements by Evans and his extended piano solos were encouraged by Bennett to emphasize equally valuable input from both musicians.
Bennett and Evans recorded the first album in four studio sessions in June 1975, and the second album in four studio sessions in September 1976. Between the two recordings, Bennett and Evans performed live as a duo, featuring songs from their recordings including "[[But Beautiful (song)|But Beautiful]]", "[[Days of Wine and Roses (song)|Days of Wine and Roses]]", "[[Dream Dancing (Cole Porter song)|Dream Dancing]]".

=== Last years ===
In 1975, Morell was replaced by drummer [[Eliot Zigmund]]. Several collaborations followed, and it was not until 1977 that the trio was able to record an album together. Both ''[[I Will Say Goodbye]]'' (Evans's last album for [[Fantasy Records]]) and ''[[You Must Believe in Spring (Bill Evans album)|You Must Believe in Spring]]'' (for Warner Bros.) highlighted changes that would become significant in the last stage of Evans's life. A greater emphasis was placed on group improvisation and interaction, and new harmonic experiments were attempted.

[[File:Bill Evans.jpg|thumb|left|Evans performing at the [[Montreux Jazz Festival]] with his trio consisting of [[Marc Johnson (musician)|Marc Johnson]], bass, and [[Philly Joe Jones]], drums, July 13, 1978.]]
Gómez and Zigmund left Evans in 1978. Evans then asked Philly Joe Jones, the drummer he considered his "all-time favorite drummer", to fill in. Several bassists were tried, with [[Michael Moore (bassist)|Michael Moore]] staying the longest. Evans finally settled on [[Marc Johnson (musician)|Marc Johnson]] on bass and [[Joe LaBarbera]] on drums. This trio would be Evans's last.
In April 1979, Evans met Laurie Verchomin, a Canadian waitress (later, a writer) with whom he had a relationship until his death. Verchomin was 28 years younger.<ref name="big love" />

At the beginning of a several-week tour of the trio through the Pacific Northwest in the spring of 1979, Evans learned that his brother, Harry, who had been diagnosed with [[schizophrenia]], had died by suicide at the age of
52.<ref name="2broth" /><ref name="Allmus" /><ref name="big love" /> This news shocked him deeply, and some of the concerts had to be canceled. His friends and relatives believe that this event precipitated his own death the following year.<ref name="2broth" /><ref name="big love">{{cite book
 | last =Verchomin
 | first =Laurie
 | title =The Big Love, Life and Death with Bill Evans
 | year =2010
 | publisher =Laurie Verchomin
 | isbn =978-1-4565-6309-7}}</ref>

Marc Johnson recalled: "This fateful trip marks&nbsp;... the beginning of the end. Bill's willingness to play and work decreased noticeably after the death of Harry, actually it was just the music itself that held him upright. He fulfilled his obligations because he needed money, but these were the few moments in his life when he felt comfortable—the times in between must have been depressing, and he barely showed a willingness to live."<ref name="petrik" />

In August 1979, Evans recorded his last studio album, ''[[We Will Meet Again]]'', featuring a composition of the same name written for his brother. The album won a Grammy award posthumously in 1981, along with ''I Will Say Goodbye''.<ref name="grammys" />

=== Drug addiction and death ===
[[File:Bill Evans's tombstone.jpg|thumb|right|Evans is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum, [[Baton Rouge]], East Baton Rouge Parish, [[Louisiana]], Section 161, Plot K.]]
During the late 1970s, Evans kicked his heroin habit, with the help of methadone, only to become addicted to cocaine. He started with one gram per weekend, but later started taking several grams daily.<ref name="big love" /> His brother Harry's suicide may have also influenced his emotional state after 1979. His sister-in-law Pat Evans has stated that she knew Bill would not last long after Harry's death and she wondered if that is what prompted her to buy three plots in a Baton Rouge Cemetery, where Harry was interred.<ref name="2broth" /> It has been documented that he voluntarily quit his treatment for chronic hepatitis.<ref name="2broth" /> Laurie Verchomin has said that Evans was clear in mind that he would die in a short time.<ref name="big love" />