Gil Evans - New Bottle Old Wine

[Alon Marcus]

"Miles Ahead" was recorded during the spring of 1957. It was the album that brought much critical acclaim to both Miles and Gil. In February 1958 Davis cut the masterpiece "Milestones" with Cannonball Adderley and he probably linked between him and Evans.

"New Bottle Old Wine" is a very fine and hard to find album that was made in the spring of 1958, just a few months before Gil's and Miles' ultimate masterwork "Porgy and Bess". One of the reasons for this album being so special are the warm solos by Cannonball. So different in approach than his boss at the time, Davis. I think it's one of his most inspired works. He catches the listener's ear from the start, playing a few bars just by himself, calling like a preacher with his blues wailings.

Evans uses some of his wonderful "trademark tricks". Teaming Julius Watkins' French horn with the trombones to create mellow chords and sometimes pairing it with the clarinet. It's amazing that he makes these chords sound totally Evansian just with the addition of the tuba and the French horn. He also likes to create trembling and disturbing sounds with the combination of muted horn, flute and one note long tremolo on guitar.

But it's not the arrangements, nor the wonderful work done by the star soloist Cannonball Adderley and other great musicians like Art Blakey and Johnny Coles and it's neither the tight and exact ensemble work. It's Evans the composer that really holds the interest for almost forty minutes. Strange statement indeed! The disc contains great jazz classics beginning from the New Orleans tradition ("St. Louis Blues" and "King Porter Stomp") to bebop ("Manteca" and "Bird Feathers") and none of them by Gil. Nevertheless he creates new music inside the old songs, something like an "inside composition".

This is obvious in his reworking of "Round Midnight" and "Manteca" which are sewed and connected together like a small suite. When "Manteca" starts only the bass plays the original rhythmic motive, which is central to Dizzy's original version. The melody is built from Dizzy's bridge. It is presented twice slower than the beat and creates a sad and melancholic effect. When the band finally launches into the leading dominant chord it sounds totally different from Dizzy's happy and energetic source. It's a bit dry, sad and has that special Spanish quality that appeared a lot afterwards in Gil's works.

Evans wrote a true tribute to his mental jazz parents, based on their creations but fresh and surprising.

Edited January 28, 2005 by Alon Marcus

[mikeweil]

I always cherished Evans' two Pacific Jazz albums, and they sure deserve a sonic upgrade, SACD preferrably - and they would eaily fit on one disc.

[mikeweil]

This cover reproduction is a little more focussed:

[jlhoots]

Rare & expensive (around $50) on the internet.

Hopefully will show up in a "new" issue someday.

[WD45]

I have always kept my eye out for this one. Never even SEEN the CD version.

[etherbored]

this ain't a shabby title, either...

i *love* wayne on it.

--------------------------

-e-

[Free For All]

Don't forget this one- the companion release to NBOW. More great Gil!

"Great Jazz Standards"

Edited January 20, 2005 by Free For All

[kh1958]

Both of these two are on a Blue Note 2LP reissue, Pacific Standard Time.

[medjuck]

I always cherished Evans' two Pacific Jazz albums, and they sure deserve a sonic upgrade, SACD preferrably - and they would eaily fit on one disc.

I think I read that the master tapes are in terrible shape. Too bad. These are two of my favorite records.

[Free For All]

These are two of my favorite records.

Absolutely. "Desert island" choices for me, along with Individualism.

[mikeweil]

I always cherished Evans' two Pacific Jazz albums, and they sure deserve a sonic upgrade, SACD preferrably - and they would eaily fit on one disc.

I think I read that the master tapes are in terrible shape. Too bad. These are two of my favorite records.

Yes, I heard about that. Too bad ...

[DrJ]

I got both of the U.S. CDs OLD WINE... and GREAT JAZZ STANDARDS - back when they did the "Collectors Choice" reissue series in the mid-90s. The sound is pretty bad (sounds like source material problems) but certainly not unlistenable. The music is fantastic, my favorite of Evans' recordings I've encountered outside of his collaborations with Miles.

Edited January 23, 2005 by DrJ

[JSngry]

The 70s 2-fer LP set (PACIFIC STANDARD TIME) should be floating around in some places for not too terribly bad a price (a quick net search shows $25 to be the norm). Don't know how much deterioration the masters had undergone by then, but that's how I've got this music and it sounds ok, if a little "cloudy"...

Get it, burn it, and tweak it to your tastes, if you're so inclined.

Edited January 23, 2005 by JSngry

[bary01]

I have always kept my eye out for this one. Never even SEEN the CD version.

Gil Evans - New Bottle Old wine RARE OOP

[Guest Chaney]

I have always kept my eye out for this one.  Never even SEEN the CD version.

Gil Evans - New Bottle Old wine RARE OOP

If this auction does well you just might see other potential sellers follow suit.

[Larry Kart]

One of things that tickles me about "New Bottles" (when I was junior in high school I listened to that album just about every night for at least a month) is the way, on the portion of the title track where Evans writes out a solo-like passage for the entire ensemble, he returns to same rhythmic obsession (don't think that's too strong a word) that marked the theme statement of "Boplicity" -- playing with strong beat/weak beat and long/short expectations to the point where the time (or time) seems about to turn back on itself.

[Chuck Nessa]

This is one of the recordings giving me "the willies". I'm fine with the arrangements but have an allergy for Cannon.

[Larry Kart]

Chuck, I think I know what you mean about "the willies." While I enjoy him in certain overtly melodic, relatively stripped down (esp. harmonically) settings (e.g. "Autumn Leaves" on "Somethin' Else," just about all of "Cannonball Takes Charge"), when the background is fairly dense/busy and Cannonball is reacting to it in a "sophisticated" manner, I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster or watching someone's reflection in a funhouse mirror.

[bary01]

(almost) all the Cover for this LP

New Bottle Old Wine

[Alon Marcus]

Thanks bary01! Great website.

[medjuck]

BTW Didn't something funny happen with the title on the record itself: "Old Bottles New Wine" or did it jsut reverse the order to "Old Wine New Bottle"?

[ejp626]

The 70s 2-fer LP set (PACIFIC STANDARD TIME) should be floating around in some places for not too terribly bad a price (a quick net search shows $25 to be the norm). Don't know how much deterioration the masters had undergone by then, but that's how I've got this music and it sounds ok, if a little "cloudy"...

Shortly after reading this thread, I found a copy of the 2-fer for $10 at Dusty Groove. It was in good condition, though side 4 probably could stand to be cleaned. I'd be happy to pass it along. PM me if interested.

[Late]

BTW Didn't something funny happen with the title on the record itself:  "Old Bottles  New Wine" or did it just reverse the order to "Old Wine New Bottle"?

I've wondered about that myself. I always have to repeat to myself: "New Bottle, Old Wine" in order to remember just what the title is (was).

Here's perhaps an even more focused scan (courtesy of the site Bary linked):

I haven't heard this album, but would really like to! (The other PJ title is a favorite.)

Edited February 9, 2005 by Late

[Bill Fenohr]

I seem to remember the sound on the original lp's that i owned back then was not great compared to the Verve or Impulse lp's.When Jim said the 2fer sounds somewhat cloudy, i think that is accurate also for the originals. But i played the hell out of both of them.

[bary01]

i recommand this great website ,

Gil Evans

very complete