"Shades of Sound:" GIl Evans Project Live at the Jazz Standard, Vol2.

 Multi‑Grammy Award–winning producer Ryan Truesdell returns with Shades of Sound: Gil Evans Project Live at Jazz Standard, Vol. 2, recorded live May 13–18, 2014 at the beloved (now-closed) Jazz Standard in New York City. On a mission to honor the essence of Gil Evans, Truesdell explains:

“Live recording captures the intangible energy… It gives listeners a sense of the magic that happens when the notes are lifted off the page by these amazing musicians.”

He’s absolutely right—the palpable vitality on this CD transports you straight into the club, enveloping you in the moment, as though the band were performing just feet away.

The album kicks off with a powerhouse rendition of Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful,” featuring muscular solos from Donny McCaslin (tenor sax), Mat Jodrell (trumpet), Dave Pietro (alto sax), and Frank Kimbrough (piano). The emotional gravity continues through “The Ballad of the Sad Young Men,” where Kimbrough's understated piano and Ryan Keberle’s trombone shape a deeply introspective scene.

Truesdell dives into rare Evan’s gems with four previously unrecorded pieces. “Laughing at Life” spotlights vocalist Wendy Gilles, supported by lyrical solos from Tom Christensen and Steve Wilson. “Neetie’s Blues” is a slow‑burn revelation—Christensen’s tenor, Kimbrough’s bluesy phrasing, and Lewis Nash’s swinging drums build a soulful meditation. Gilles gracefully returns in “I Had Someone Else Before I Had You” and “It’s the Sentimental Thing to Do,” each capturing Evans’s early-Thornhill-era vocal and orchestral flair. Finally, “Buster’s Last Stand” closes the set with energizing force: Nash sets a fierce tempo, and solos from Greg Gisbert (trumpet), McCaslin (Tenor), and a full-throttle ensemble drive the piece home.

Truesdell’s live approach honors Evans’s alchemy—his arrangements breathe, shimmer, and resonate thanks to James Farber’s Grammy-winning engineering team (with Tyler McDiarmid and Geoff Countryman)—preserving audience warmth and immediacy, a hallmark of Truesdell’s mission.

---

PLAYLIST:

1. Spoonful

2. The Ballad of the Sad Young Men

3. Laughing at Life

4. Neetie’s Blues

5. I Had Someone Else Before I Had You

6. Barbara Song

7. It’s the Sentimental Thing To Do

8. Buster’s Last Stand

PLAYERS:

Conductor

• Ryan Truesdell

Woodwinds

• Steve Kenyon (flute/clarinet)

• Steve Wilson (soprano/alto sax, alto flute, clarinet)

• Dave Pietro (alto sax, flute family)

• Donny McCaslin (tenor sax, flute, clarinet)

• Scott Robinson (tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet)

• Brian Landrus (baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet)

• Tom Christensen (alto flute, oboe, English horn)

• Alden Banta (bassoon, bass clarinet, baritone sax)

French Horns

• Adam Unsworth

• David Peel

Trumpets

• Augie Haas

• Greg Gisbert

• Mat Jodrell

Trombones

• Ryan Keberle

• Marshall Gilkes

• George Flynn (bass trombone)

Tuba

• Marcus Rojas

Rhythm Section & Others

• James Chirillo (guitar)

• Frank Kimbrough (piano)

• Jay Anderson (bass)

• Lewis Nash (drums)

• Lois Martin (viola)

• Wendy Gilles (voice)
  
  

---

                                                                    "Buster's Last Stand"

                                                                    "All The Sad Young Men"