Did you know that pianist Lennie Tristano walked out in the middle of a Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian club date? 
Apparently the perfection of the Bill Evans Trio was too much for
Lennie's ego. Or that Bill's playing was more influenced by Lee Konitz than Tristano? I
didn't either.
You'll find these Bill Evans tidbits and much more (including piano transcriptions) by downloading all 26 issues of Win Hinkle's Letter From Evans newsletter, published from 1989 to 1994. And as Doug Ramsey noted here in his Rifftides post yesterday, Win has generously made them all available—for free.
To find out how to download issues, go to Jan Stevens' Bill Evans site here and simply follow his step-by-step instructions. If you dig Bill, you're in for quite a treat.
And while you're at Jan's site, linger awhile. Jan has assembled the web's best compendium of all things Bill. His site is first to know and report on anything that moves in the world of the late Bill Evans.
Also, pay a visit to Win Hinkle's blog page here and shoot along an e-mail of gratitude. Giving away anything these days—let alone a treasure trove of information—is an act of pure generosity.
Want another nugget from Win's Letter from Evans? In an interview, bassist Chuck Israels said Evans loved Barry Harris' playing. When asked why, Israels said, "Barry is a student of the essential in musical style. And like Bill, he pares it all away but the essential."
I hear that. Go download your free PDF copies of Letter from Evans. They will make for great holiday reading.
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