At The BBC
Bill Evans
At The BBC is the first official release of Bill Evans's sole BBC television appearance, recorded on March 19, 1965 at the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London, as part of the acclaimed Jazz 625 series. Released by Elemental Music on April 18, 2026 as a limited-edition 180-gram double LP for Record Store Day — with CD and digital versions following on April 24 — the album was produced by the indefatigable jazz archivist Zev Feldman and transferred from the original BBC tape reels, with mastering by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. The performance features Evans's "second trio" of bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker, assembled after the tragic death of Scott LaFaro in 1961, and captures the group mid-residency during a four-week stint at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. All About Jazz noted that the recording session for Evans's studio album Trio '65 had taken place just six weeks earlier, and five of that record's eight tracks appear here, giving the BBC set an intimacy and easy confidence that comes from deeply familiar repertoire. The deluxe edition includes a gatefold booklet with rare photographs by Jean-Pierre Leloir and Jan Persson, new liner notes by jazz critic Marc Myers, and testimonies from Israels, Jamie Cullum, and jazz musician James Pearson.
The sixteen-track, 70-minute program — spread across four LP sides and introduced by host Humphrey Lyttelton — draws on Evans's well-worn repertoire of standards and originals: "Summertime," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "My Foolish Heart," "Waltz for Debby," "Nardis," "Re: Person I Knew," and "How Deep Is the Ocean," among others. Paris Move observed that the album is best experienced on vinyl, where the LP's natural compression lends the recording "a cohesion that feels not corrective, but true to its time and place," transforming the inherent sonic limitations of the original BBC tapes into atmosphere. Jazz Journal recommended "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "My Foolish Heart" from the first set and "How My Heart Sings" and "Waltz for Debby" from the second as particular highlights, and welcomed the album as capturing Evans "in his lyrical prime" — introspective, unhurried, and fully at home in the music.
At The BBC
Bill Evans
At The BBC is the first official release of Bill Evans's sole BBC television appearance, recorded on March 19, 1965 at the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London, as part of the acclaimed Jazz 625 series. Released by Elemental Music on April 18, 2026 as a limited-edition 180-gram double LP for Record Store Day — with CD and digital versions following on April 24 — the album was produced by the indefatigable jazz archivist Zev Feldman and transferred from the original BBC tape reels, with mastering by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. The performance features Evans's "second trio" of bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker, assembled after the tragic death of Scott LaFaro in 1961, and captures the group mid-residency during a four-week stint at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. All About Jazz noted that the recording session for Evans's studio album Trio '65 had taken place just six weeks earlier, and five of that record's eight tracks appear here, giving the BBC set an intimacy and easy confidence that comes from deeply familiar repertoire. The deluxe edition includes a gatefold booklet with rare photographs by Jean-Pierre Leloir and Jan Persson, new liner notes by jazz critic Marc Myers, and testimonies from Israels, Jamie Cullum, and jazz musician James Pearson.
The sixteen-track, 70-minute program — spread across four LP sides and introduced by host Humphrey Lyttelton — draws on Evans's well-worn repertoire of standards and originals: "Summertime," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "My Foolish Heart," "Waltz for Debby," "Nardis," "Re: Person I Knew," and "How Deep Is the Ocean," among others. Paris Move observed that the album is best experienced on vinyl, where the LP's natural compression lends the recording "a cohesion that feels not corrective, but true to its time and place," transforming the inherent sonic limitations of the original BBC tapes into atmosphere. Jazz Journal recommended "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "My Foolish Heart" from the first set and "How My Heart Sings" and "Waltz for Debby" from the second as particular highlights, and welcomed the album as capturing Evans "in his lyrical prime" — introspective, unhurried, and fully at home in the music.