BILL EVANS performed twenty-one sessions in The Netherlands during his musical career. This session index is rather complete. The very first time he played in The Netherlands was in Amsterdam in 1965 . In the Royal Concertgebouw with his neoclassical architecture and his famous acoustics, I attended a very inspired concert with Bill Evans on piano, Chuck Israels on bass and Larry Bunker on drums. They played among other things "Elsa" and "I Should Care". Unfortunately there is not any information about this performance on websites and in discographies . This concert is nowhere mentioned. An other session in 1975 febr 13th took place in "De Boerenhofstede" in Laren and not in Nick Vollebregts Jazz Café in Laren as mentioned in the existing current session index on internet. The correct date of the concert in 1979 in Lelystad is up to now not known. The adapted and updated album index is build upon the extensive discographies compiled by Win Hinkle (Letter From Evans, Bill Evans Jazz Resource), Brian Hennessey (The Bill Evans Memorial Library) and by Peter H. Larsen (a music journalist and producer of the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra) who wrote the very first discography about Bill Evans in book form in 1984. The latter produced in 2002 a tribute album "The Danish Radio Orchestra Plays Bill Evans" with pianist Jim McNeely as solist.

Between 1965 and 1979 the trio played two separate sessions with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra, furthermore one with Stan Getz and one with Toots Thielemans. Moreover
two sessions are taped and released as CD.

Concert on Friday, August 9th, 1974, Singer Concertzaal in Laren, The Netherlands.

The concert series of 1974 "Laren International Jazz Festival" was continued with a performance by the Bill Evans Trio with Stan Getz. (Stan Getz, tenor saxophone; Bill Evans, piano; Eddie Gomez, bass and Marty Morell drums). Producer Joop de Roo still remembers very well how everything went wrong: In the studio in the afternoon everything went reasonably, although the problem remained as to exactly what changes should be played in the blues. Eventually it was decided not to play any blues at all. In the evening Bill Evans started off all right until Stan appeared and blatantly started an unannounced, unrehearsed blues, "Stan's Blues". Evans refused to go on playing and the whole set lasted only 25 minutes. The concert which they gave a week later at the 'Middelheim Jazz Festival', Antwerp in Belgium, on the other hand was exceedingly good. Released as album title: 'But Beautiful' (Milestone records).

From the book "International Jazz Festival" by Hans Kroeze (Aktu & Promotions, Amsterdam, 1981)

The small Dutch village Laren has a long jazz tradition, Coleman Hawkins played already in 1935 in the former Casino of hotel Hamdorff. More recent jazzpodia are the former Boerenhofstede, the Singer Museum and Nick Vollebregt's Jazzcafe. Bill Evans played several times in this locations. A Dutch public broadcasting organisation (TROS) began its radio jazz concerts in 1973 under the name SESJUN. For the first five years it was broadcasted from the Boerenhofstede in Laren, later Nick Vollebregt's Jazzcafe became the permanent spot for a first class series of concerts. With producer Dick de Winter and Cees Schrama as broadcaster the program became very popular. Hundreds of famous musicians played on the sessions: besides Dutch and European jazz musicians Toots Thielemans, Monty Alexander, Bill Evans, Wynton Marsalis, Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, Dexter Gordon, Sarah Vaughn, Jimmy Smith, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard and Johua Redman. Since 1982, a broad selection of these radio programs has been broadcasted by more than 200 public radio stations in the USA and Canada. In the afternoon on 1973 dec 16th Bill Evans played duo with Eddie Gomez on bass in music center "De Doelen" in Rotterdam and in the evening in theater "Diligentia" in The Hague. The advertisement is from the Dutch music magazine "OOR" by courtesy of the "Nederlands Jazz Archief". On 1979 dec 10th the Bill Evans Trio with Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbara on drums played in cultuurcentrum "De Oosterpoort" in Groningen in the northern area of The Netherlands.

De Boerenhofstede 1975

Nick Vollebregt's Jazzcafe 1973/1979

Singer Museum & Concertzaal 1974

De Doelen in Rotterdam 16 december 1973

De Oosterpoort in Groningen 10 december 1979

1965
febr 12th
Afternoon

Bill Evans (p)
Chuck Israels (b)
Larry Bunker (dr)

Among others:

Come Rain Or Come Shine
My Foolish Heart

Final track Ruud Jacobs bass
and Wim Overgaauw guitar

Taped and broadcasted by the the NCRV
on 23.4.1965 in "Dzjes-Zien" by Pim Jacobs.

1965
febr 12th
20.15

Bill Evans (p)
Chuck Israels (b)
Larry Bunker (dr)

Eleven songs, among others:

Nardis
Waltz for Debby
Someday My Prince Will Come
Summertime
How Deep Is The Ocean
Sweet and Lovely
I Should Care
Oleo
Peace Piece

1968
jun 22th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Jack DeJohnette (dr)

You're gonna hear from me
Very Early
Who can I turn to?
Alfie
Embraceable You
Emily
Nardis
Turn out the stars
Five/ Oleo

Taped and broadcasted in "Radio Jazz In Actie" by Joop de Roo

1969
mar 25th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Marty Morell (dr)

Metropole Orchestra

Granadas 4:35
Pavane 4:40

Taped and broadcast by the
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

1969
mar 26th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Marty Morell (dr)

You're Gonna Hear From Me 3:06
Emily 4:27
Stella by Starlight 5:14
Turn Out the Stars 4:42
Waltz for Debby 5:33
Round Midnight 6:25
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
3:35
Beautiful Love 5:00
One for Helen 6:00
My Funny Valentine 6:20
Love Theme from Spartacus 4:35
Mother of Earl 4:40
Quiet Now 5:35
Someday My Prince Will Come
5:50

Taped and broadcast by the
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

1969
nov 28th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Marty Morell (dr)

Very Early 4:54
A Sleepin' Bee 4:37
Quiet Now 5:10
Turn Out the Stars 4:41
Autumn Leaves 4:04
Nardis 5:36

Album title: QUIET NOW (Affinity)

1972
febr 4th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Marty Morell (dr)

Unknown titles

1972
febr 18th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Marty Morell (dr)

What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life nc
Very Early nc
Sugar Plum 5:50
Beautiful Love 4:49
My Man's Gone Now nc
Gloria's Step 5:59
Time Remembered nc

Taped and broadcast by the
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

1973
dec 13th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)

Up With the Lark nc
Time Remembered 5:33
Twelve-Tone Tune 4:49
The Two Lonely People 7:23
Nardis nc

Taped and broadcast by the
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

1973
dec 16th
afternoon

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)

Unknown titles

1973
dec 16th
evening

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)

Unknown titles

1974
aug 9th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Marty Morell (dr)

Stan Getz (ts)

Waltz for Debby 6:20
Turn Out the Stars 5:10
34 Skidoo 7:33
The Two Lonely People 7:50
Twelve-Tone Tune 4:35

Add Stan Getz, ts

Stan's Blues 5:31
Grandfather's Waltz 7:50
But Beautiful 4:50
Funkallero 8:30
The Peacocks 5:49
You and the Night and the Music 4:08

Taped and broadcast by the
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

Album title: But Beautiful (Milestone)

1975
febr 13th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Elliot Zigmund (dr)

Metropole Orchestra

Symbiosis, part 1 8:15
Symbiosis, part 2 8:02

Taped and broadcast by the
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

1975
febr 13th

Bill Evans (p)
Eddie Gomez (b)
Elliot Zigmund (dr)

Sugar Plum 7:43
Sareen Jurer 6:58
Mornin' Glory 4:28
Twelve-Tone Tune T 6:42
Blue Serge 4:58
Twelve-Tone Tune nc

Taped and broadcast by the
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

1977
dec 8th

Bill Evans (p)
Marc Johnson (b)
Joe LaBarbera (dr)

Schouwburg
Groningen

Unknown titles

Double concert with the Stan Getz Quartet

1978
mai 8th

Bill Evans (p)
Michael Moore (b)
Philly Joe Jones (dr)

AVRO Studio?
Hilversum?

Unknown titles

Taped and broadcasted by the
AVRO TV program "Music Gallery"

1978
jul 14th
19.00/23.45

Bill Evans (p)
Michael Moore (b)
Philly Joe Jones (dr)

North Sea Jazz Festival
Congresgebouw
Sweelinck zaal
The Hague

Unknown titles

1979
nov 17th
20.15

Bill Evans (p)
Marc Johnson (b)
Joe Labarbera (dr)

Vredenburg
Utrecht

Unknown titles

Double concert with the Stan Getz Quartet

1979
dec 6th

Bill Evans (p)
Marc Johnson (b)
Joe Labarbera (dr)

Toots Thielemans (hca)

Nick Vollebregts
Jazz Cafe
Laren

TTT nc
Laurie 7:12
Nardis 12:20

Add Toots Thielemans, hca

What Is This Thing Called Love 6:25
Blue in Green 4:06
The Days of Wine and Roses 7:21
I Do It For Your Love
Bluesette

Taped and broadcast by TROS-Radio

1979
dec 6th

Bill Evans (p)
Marc Johnson (b)
Joe LaBarbara (dr)

De Meerkoet
Lelystad

Django 7:00
Waltz For Debby 5:02
Twelve Tone Tune (T.T.T) 3:14
Unknown title 6:20
Gone With the Wind 6:28

Private tape, medium quality

1979
dec 10th

Bill Evans (p)
Marc Johnson (b)
Joe LaBarbara (dr)

Unknown titles