Bill Evans - Moon Beams

Moon Beams is Bill Evans at his most tender, a 1962 trio album of ballads recorded as he slowly found his way back to music after a devastating loss.

Evans's groundbreaking trio had been shattered the year before by the death of bassist Scott LaFaro, and these sessions marked his return to the studio with Chuck Israels on bass and Paul Motian on drums. Producer Orrin Keepnews split the results into two albums, saving the slower, more introspective performances for this one. The cover, featuring a young Nico, became almost as famous as the music inside.

"Re: Person I Knew" opens with a gently pulsing groove and a title that hides a playful anagram of Keepnews's name. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" is pure lyricism, Evans's touch so light it barely seems to land, while "If You Could See Me Now" glows with a quiet, aching warmth. "Very Early", one of his own compositions, closes with an airy, waltzing grace.

The interplay between the three musicians is subtle and intimate, with Israels and Motian supporting Evans with remarkable sensitivity.

It is a record made for late nights and quiet reflection, and a high point of the piano trio tradition. Few albums show so clearly how much feeling can live in a handful of soft, carefully placed notes.