William John Evans, genannt Bill Evans, war einer der einflussreichsten Jazz-Pianisten überhaupt, ein stilprägender Klavier-Poet, "einer der populärsten Jazzmusiker seiner Generation". Die 10-CD-Box "Blue In Green - The Best Of The Early Years 1955 - 1960"" vereint die wichtigsten Alben des Frühwerks dieses Meisters - in Originalversionen und voller Länge. Neben den Alben "New Jazz Conceptions", "Everybody Digs Bill Evans" und "Portrait In Jazz", die Evans mit seinen Trios eingespielt hat, sind hier auch Meisterwerke zu hören, die ihn an der Seite großer Kollegen zeigen: Charlie Mingus, Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer, George Russell, Eddie Costa gehören zu den Jazzgrößen, die schon früh das Talent des Pianisten aus New Jersey entdeckten. Natürlich darf auch Miles Davis'"Kind Of Blue" nicht fehlen, zu dem Evans u.a. die Komposition "Blue In Green" beisteuerte. Als Bonbon finden sich auf CD 10 seltene Aufnahmen, die Evans als Begleiter von Jazzvokalisten zeigen: Zum einen das Album "The Singing Reed" mit der Sängerin Lucy Reed, das Evans 1955 aufnahm - und außerdem drei extrem rare Vocalese-Versionen von Songs aus Miles'"Kind Of Blue", die Evans und die gesamte Davis-Backing-Band (minus Davis) nur kurze Zeit nach den Aufnahmen zu diesem legendären Album mit dem Sänger Frank Minion in New York aufgenommen hat. Die großartige Werkschau eines Jazz-Giganten - zum unschlagbaren Preis. CD 1 New Jazz Conceptions / CD 2 Everybody Digs Bill Evans / CD 3 Portrait In Jazz / CD 4 Bob Brookmeyer & Bill Evans - The Ivory Hunters / CD 5 Charles Mingus - East Coasting / CD 6 George Russell and his Orchestra featuring Bill Evans -Jazz In The Space Age / CD 7 Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue / CD 8 Art Farmer - Modern Art / CD 9 The Eddie Costa Quartet - Guys And Dolls Like Vibes / CD 10 Lucy Reed - The Singing Reed/ Frank Minion - The Soft Land Of Make Believe (excerpts)
| CD 1 | |||
| 1 | I love you | 00:03:55 | |
| 2 | Five (Theme) | 00:04:02 | |
| 3 | I got it bad (and that ain't good) | 00:01:39 | |
| 4 | Conception | 00:04:47 | |
| 5 | Easy living | 00:03:52 | |
| 6 | Displacement | 00:02:36 | |
| 7 | Speak low | 00:05:10 | |
| 8 | Waltz for Debby | 00:01:20 | |
| 9 | Our delight | 00:04:44 | |
| 10 | My romance | 00:01:58 | |
| 11 | No cover, no minimum | 00:07:29 | |
| CD 2 | |||
| 1 | Minority | 00:05:24 | |
| 2 | Young and foolish | 00:05:56 | |
| 3 | Lucky to be me | 00:03:42 | |
| 4 | Night and day | 00:07:37 | |
| 5 | Tenderly | 00:03:35 | |
| 6 | Peace piece | 00:06:44 | |
| 7 | What is there to say | 00:04:55 | |
| 8 | Oleo | 00:04:09 | |
| 9 | Epilogue | 00:00:40 | |
| CD 3 | |||
| 1 | Come rain or come shine | 00:03:23 | |
| 2 | Autumn leaves | 00:06:01 | |
| 3 | Witchcraft | 00:04:34 | |
| 4 | When I fall in love | 00:04:55 | |
| 5 | Peri's scope | 00:03:15 | |
| 6 | What is this thing called love | 00:04:37 | |
| 7 | Spring is here | 00:05:08 | |
| 8 | Someday my prince will come | 00:04:55 | |
| 9 | Blue in green | 00:05:23 | |
| CD 4 | |||
| 1 | Honeysuckle rose | 00:05:52 | |
| 2 | As time goes by | 00:06:56 | |
| 3 | The way you look tonight | 00:07:38 | |
| 4 | It could happen to you | 00:07:26 | |
| 5 | The man I love | 00:05:58 | |
| 6 | I got rhythm | 00:08:27 | |
| CD 5 | |||
| 1 | Memories of you | 00:04:27 | |
| 2 | East coasting | 00:05:14 | |
| 3 | West coast ghost | 00:10:27 | |
| 4 | Celia | 00:07:55 | |
| 5 | Conversation | 00:05:29 | |
| 6 | Fifty-First Street blues | 00:05:48 | |
| CD 6 | |||
| 1 | Chromatic universe [Part 1] | 00:03:33 | |
| 2 | Dimensions | 00:13:11 | |
| 3 | Chromatic universe [Part 2] | 00:03:47 | |
| 4 | The lydiot | 00:10:05 | |
| 5 | Waltz from the outer space | 00:06:59 | |
| 6 | Chromatic universe [Part 3] | 00:04:55 | |
| CD 7 | |||
| 1 | So what | 00:09:25 | |
| 2 | Freddie Freeloader | 00:09:49 | |
| 3 | Blue in green | 00:05:37 | |
| 4 | All blues | 00:11:35 | |
| 5 | Flamenco sketches | 00:09:26 | |
| CD 8 | |||
| 1 | Mox nix | 00:04:40 | |
| 2 | Fair weather | 00:05:44 | |
| 3 | Darn that dream | 00:04:00 | |
| 4 | The touch of your lips | 00:04:55 | |
| 5 | Jubilation | 00:04:17 | |
| 6 | Like someone in love | 00:05:57 | |
| 7 | I love you | 00:07:01 | |
| 8 | Cold breeze | 00:03:55 | |
| CD 9 | |||
| 1 | Guys and dolls | 00:06:47 | |
| 2 | Adelaide | 00:08:30 | |
| 3 | If I were a bell | 00:05:10 | |
| 4 | Lucke be a lady | 00:06:24 | |
| 5 | I've never been in love before | 00:07:00 | |
| 6 | I'll know | 00:06:04 | |
| CD 10 | |||
| 1 | Inchworm | 00:02:55 | |
| 2 | My love is a wanderer | 00:02:53 | |
| 3 | Because we're kids | 00:02:52 | |
| 4 | It'all right with me | 00:04:23 | |
| 5 | There's a boat dat's leavin' soon for New York | 00:02:31 | |
| 6 | Lazy afternoon | 00:03:41 | |
| 7 | Flying down to Rio | 00:02:16 | |
| 8 | Little girl blue | 00:03:44 | |
| 9 | Fools fall in love | 00:03:24 | |
| 10 | Out of this world | 00:03:49 | |
| 11 | You may not love me | 00:03:44 | |
| 12 | My time of day | 00:02:40 | |
| 13 | All blues (Flamingo sketches) | 00:04:18 | |
| 14 | 'Round midnight | 00:05:35 | |
| 15 | So what | 00:04:23 | |