Album Review

John Rouse [allmusic.com]

Lee Evans and His Orchestra in Concert is an Easy Listening jazz album, that combines classical sensibilities with jazz - it has more in common with Rhapsody in Blue than with Love Supreme. The album on Command Records (Stereo RS 858 SD) is single disc but presented in a double fold-out format, with extensive liner notes typical of the early 60s. Evans acknowledges his debt to Gershwin - and it is clear throughout - not only the choice of tracks, but the orchestration by Lew Davies, and the scales and runs that Evans chooses are clearly Gershwin-based, with occasional blue notes, but this is Western music.

If you like Gershwin, Kern, and their ilk then this album is an interesting, if obscure, addition - Evans is clearly classically trained - and while calling this jazz is a stretch - his dexterity and training make it an interesting album for those who like their jazz to be straight ahead. It doesn't swing, it doesn't go near bebop, but it's a good listen when you're in the mood for jazz with a classical bent.