“Hidden Repetition and Developing Variation in Bill Evans’ Performance of Thelonious Monk’s “Blue Monk”
The first presentation on “Blue Monk” suggests that a Schenkerian perspective on motive shows that Monk’s piece combines some rather “generic” blues motives in an apparently simple yet remarkably satisfying way involving some “hidden repetitions” and interesting rhythmic effects, that Evans’ setting of the melody amplifies those hidden repetitions by adding others to the bass line, that Evans’ improvised variations on the resultant structure retain the same motives at a variety of structural levels, and that they do so in a way that tells a story that relies on “developing variations” of those motives. To do this, the first presentation analyzes a composite version of Evans’ setting of the melody. Then, it analyzes a single improvised chorus. Finally, it points to the appearance of motives in other places within his improvisation, noting instances of “developing variation.”
“Bill Evans, ‘Blue Monk’, and Beat Sets”
How does Evans assert meter, given the absence of the traditional timekeeping instruments of bass and drums in his performance? The second presentation discusses Evans’ left-hand rhythmic strategies through the notion of beat sets, which identify the eighth-note attack points of a measure. The paper first shows some characteristics of the beat sets used most consistently by Evans. Then it examines these beat sets in a larger context by considering progression (what is likely to precede and follow some preferred beat sets?) and formal placement (where in the 12-bar form or 2- and 4-bar hypermeter do these beat sets occur?). The progression and placement of significant beat sets suggests a general rhythmic syntax at work in Evans’ performance, and this in turn offers ways to construct other beat set cycles that are well-formed according to Evans’s practice. The presentation includes a live performance of a transcription of “Blue Monk.”