Bill Evans Time Remembered Documentary Film

An Unrelenting Commitment to Jazz

While playing with Bill Evans, drummer Joe LaBarbera wrote notes of his experiences playing with the Bill Evans Trio. LaBarbera acknowledged that he could not write a book from all of his notes. Therefore, he enlisted a former drummer by the name of Charles Levin to help write the book for him. Together, they authored: Times Remembered – The Final Years of the Bill Evans Trio.

Throughout the book, there are numerous examples of how Evans was committed to showing up and playing – it was his job. One such story that exemplifies this is from March 29, 1980 – a trio date at Carnegie Hall. The trio did their usual sound check around 6:00 pm and had an hour or two to kill before the concert at 8:00 pm. Bill decided he would drive back to Fort Lee, New Jersey and come back shortly before the concert started.

By 7:30 pm, no Bill Evans. Helen Keane was working frantically to track him down. At around 7:45 pm, Bill Evans shows up with his left arm in a cast, bandages across his eye with stiches and he asks everyone: “What time is it?” Everyone looked shocked. It turns out that Bill hit a major pothole while driving and crashed into the center lane. Evans was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. When everyone walked out on stage at 8:00 pm, a gasp could be heard across the hall. Everyone was equally shocked at a wounded Bill Evans. Evans proceeded to remove the sling from his arm and played the concert flawlessly.