Symbiosis: Tribute To Bill Evans – Anders Malta

The influential Danish jazz trumpeter and composer Palle Mikkelborg was commissioned by the Danish Radio to compose his Bill Evans Suite for the Bill Evans Trio in 1969, comprising themes from famous pieces by Bill Evans such as “Waltz for Debby”, “Time Remembered”, “My Bells” and “Walkin’ Up”. The suite was originally recorded for a television programme featuring the Danish Radio Big Band and members from the Royal Danish Orchestra.

Symbiosis marks the third collaboration between the decorated German composer-arranger Claus Ogerman and American Jazz pianist and luminary Bill Evans, with the pair working together previously in 1963 and 1965 on two jazz albums with symphony orchestra. Symbiosis was originally composed solely for an album recording in 1974 for the MPS label. The full orchestral score was unfortunately not preserved for performance. In 2019, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra commissioned Singaporean composer Ding Jian Han to re-construct the orchestral score, under the guidance of its Director of Artistic Planning, Hans Sørensen. This score was performed on 6 Jan 2023, marking the first time Symbiosis is performed complete and live to an audience, and recorded for this album.

Recorded live with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Symbiosis – Tribute to Bill Evans offers a vivid, contemporary perspective on Evans’ timeless influence, blending intimacy, sophistication, and orchestral grandeur.