Undercurrent (Bill Evans and Jim Hall album)



Undercurrent is a 1962 album by jazz pianist Bill Evans and jazz guitarist Jim Hall. They would collaborate again in 1966 for the follow-up album Intermodulation.

In his November 26, 1962 review for Down Beat magazine jazz critic Pete Welding states: "This collaboration between Evans and Hall has resulted in some of the most beautiful, throughly ingratiating music it has been my pleasure to hear..."

The front cover image for Undercurrent is Toni Frissell's photograph "Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida". The album was originally released on United Artists, then reissued by Solid State in 1968. More recently, the album was reissued on EMI/Blue Note (in fact, both Blue Note and United Artists Records have been owned for a long time by EMI). The original LP and the first CD reissue featured a cropped, blue-tinted version, overlaid with the title and the Blue Note logo in white; but for the most recent (24-bit remastered) CD reissue, the image has been restored to its original black-and-white coloration and size, without lettering.

Track listing
Original LP
 * 1) "My Funny Valentine" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 5:21
 * 2) "I Hear a Rhapsody" (Jack Baker, George Fragos, Dick Gasparre) – 4:36
 * 3) "Dream Gypsy" (Judith Veveers)– 4:33
 * 4) "Romain" (Jim Hall) – 5:19
 * 5) "Skating in Central Park" (John Lewis) – 5:19
 * 6) "Darn That Dream" (Eddie DeLange, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 5:04

Bonus tracks on 2002 Blue Note CD reissue:
 * 1) "Stairway to the Stars"  (Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli) – 5:38
 * 2) "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (George Bassman, Ned Washington) – 4:13
 * 3) "My Funny Valentine [Alternate Take] – 6:54
 * 4) "Romain" [Alternate Take] – 5:24

Recorded on April 24 (#2, 7, 8) and May 14 (all others), 1962.

Personnel

 * Bill Evans – piano
 * Jim Hall – guitar