Bill Evans’ *Affinity* is a late-career triumph, recorded at the same Village Vanguard where he made history. A quintet session with horns, it finds Evans at his most lyrical and introspective — essential for anyone who thinks his best work ended in the 1960s.
By the time Bill Evans walked into the Village Vanguard for the sessions that became Affinity, he had already lived several lifetimes at the piano. The 1978 recordings that make up this album find him in a rare moment of settled clarity — playing with a quintet that includes the horns of Tom Harrell and Larry Schneider, a departure from the trio format that had defined him for nearly two decades. But this isn’t a concession to fusion or commercial jazz-pop. It’s a deepening.
The opening track, Cole Porter’s “I Love You,” sets the tone immediately. Evans states the melody with a fragile, almost questioning touch, and Marc Johnson’s bass responds with a melodic counter-line that is less accompaniment than conversation. Johnson, then a young sideman fresh out of Bill’s earlier trio with Philly Joe Jones, brings a weight and sensitivity that Evans clearly trusted. Joe LaBarbera’s drums stay in the shadows, using brushes and occasional cymbal washes. The horn section enters on the second chorus, and suddenly the room opens up.
The Room
The Village Vanguard, for all its history, is not a forgiving room. It’s small, narrow, and the wooden booths absorb more than they reflect. But Evans had been recording there since 1961 — he knew where to sit, where to lean into the piano’s lower register, and when to let the horns cut through. Engineer Malcolm Addey captured the session with an unusual warmth, keeping the piano’s soundboard resonance in the left channel and the horns slightly recessed on the right. It’s an intimate, slightly off-axis sound that rewards close listening.
“Someday My Prince Will Come” is the album’s centerpiece — a melody from Disney’s Snow White that Evans had been circling for years. His version here is less a lullaby than a meditation on distance. Tom Harrell’s flugelhorn solo is breathy and patient, holding notes until they almost fray. Evans comps behind him with a sparse two-handed chordal gesture that sounds like he’s counting the spaces between heartbeats.
The other standout is “But Beautiful,” a standard Evans had recorded before but never with this kind of restraint. LaBarbera’s brushwork is so light it barely registers as sound — more a texture than a rhythm. Evans plays the verse almost rubato, then tightens into a swinging tempo for the chorus. It’s a masterclass in dynamic control from a pianist often accused of too much softness. The critics who said Evans had lost his edge after the 60s never heard this track.
“Affinity” closes with the Jarreau-penned “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh” and a reading of “Days of Wine and Roses” that stretches to over ten minutes. That final track is where the quintet finally lets go — every solo finds its own arc, and Evans comps with a ferocity that sounds like he’s pushing the band toward something darker. It’s the only moment where the album feels like it’s about to break open.
This is not the Bill Evans of Sunday at the Village Vanguard. It’s a later, wiser, more interior musician. The horns aren’t there to compete — they’re there to occupy space he could no longer fill alone. Affinity is proof that even after decades at the piano, Evans could still find new rooms to walk into.
🎵 Key Takeaways
- Quintet includes horns Tom Harrell and Larry Schneider.
- Marc Johnson's bass responds as melodic conversation.
- Recording places piano left, horns recessed right.
- Someday My Prince Will Come meditates on distance.
- Tom Harrell's flugelhorn holds notes until fraying.
- Evans comps with sparse chordal gestures counting spaces.
What is the significance of the title 'Affinity'?
The title reflects the close musical rapport among the quintet members — particularly between Evans and his new trio with Marc Johnson and Joe LaBarbera. It also suggests a spiritual connection to the room itself, the Village Vanguard, where Evans had recorded his most celebrated earlier work.
Who are the horn players on this album and why did Bill Evans include them?
Tom Harrell (trumpet/flugelhorn) and Larry Schneider (saxophones) join the trio on four tracks. Evans had been playing sporadically with horns since the mid-1970s. The inclusion here gives the album a richer harmonic density, especially on ballads like 'Someday My Prince Will Come' where Harrell’s flugelhorn adds a soft, elegiac tone.
How does 'Affinity' compare to earlier Bill Evans trio albums like 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard'?
While 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard' (1961) is a raw, fire-breathing trio session with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian, 'Affinity' is a more introspective, controlled affair. The addition of horns makes it less intimate in some ways, but the trio interplay — especially between Evans and Johnson — is just as telepathic. It’s a late-period masterpiece, not a rehash of past glories.