BILL EVANS

Dragonfly

2012-05-24

Jazz saxophonist Bill Evans joined Miles Davis at age 22 and later toured/recorded with legends Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, and the Allman Brothers. He also recorded two albums Soul Insider and Soulgrass with bandmates Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Bruce Hornsby and Vinnie Colaiuta. Dragonfly is the third release of Bill Evans’ Soulgrass evolution with vocals by drummer Josh Dion, banjo by Ryan Cavanaugh and guests Warren Haynes, Steve Lukather, and John Medeski. #4 Tit for Tat has so many musical elements – Warren Haynes guitar & Bill’s sax solos outshine (recorded in one take according to liner notes) in this 7 minute gem. #6 Forbidden Daffodils is a laid back, leisurely sax journey that builds to an awesome crescendo. #7 Nothin’ to Believe In is so like the jam band String Cheese Incident with distorted banjo but morphs into drum bebop pattern similar to swing—a delight. #8 Lay It Down starts innocuous enough but oh my, what a track! Courtesy of Steve Lukather! Dragonfly cuts a wide swathe to include Evans’ jazz foundation with funk, fusion, bluegrass and soul. Recommended tracks in order of preference: 8, 6, 7, 4 – Pam VandeKerkhoff

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