There was a vote for favourite Jazz pianists on the internet in Japan. The top popular pianist was Bill Evans.
As opposed to our expectation, recent popular pianists like Kieth Jarret or Chick Corea were not in to top 5 group. Bud Powell, Winton Kelly, Oscar Peterson, and Herbbie Hancock were liked by Japanese next to Bill Evans although Bill Evans was the super top favourite being far above from them all.
It’s interesting to know Japanese jazz fans prefer old jazz to recent jazz. As for the reason of Bill Evans popularity,it’s firstly because probably Japanese aren’t bluesy and soulful like original black people musicians. I love Miles Davis, Monk, or Coltrane too, but listening to them, I often feel a kind of distance from their mind of music. I feel they are playing for life with their history. Not just for the music but their music include such a long history of human as black musicians. Of course it’s a real treasure of music because the music are coming from such soul of human. But for us Japanese, maybe it’s hard to realize what they have in their soul just by listening to their music.
It’s true that precious human mind makes up the music to the higher place as godsent treasure. And that’s why Jazz music is never dying.
Bill Evens of course had such soul inside, but he soul was hidden under the beautiful notes. I can’t tell why. Some say Bill Evans music is not original jazz, his notes are whiteman music. If so, Bill Evans music might come into our heart without understanding the soul of original jazz.
One thing we can say is Bill Evans feeling match Japanese feeling.
But it was Miles Davis that Bill Evans was first introduced into major music scene as a pianist of KIND OF BLUE. The Genius, Miles Davis, chose Bill Evans. Probably it means the genius know the truth, and they genius have something in common.
Maybe only the critics and avarage listners are always telling the needless story and reasons for the music difference. Genius are known by the genius only.
