Rhythm A Ning - Gil Evans (1988) (1LP Vinyl) - Very Good Plus (VG+)

Condition: Used

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Rhythm A Ning by Gil Evans.

There is a particular magic that happens when a master arranger meets a younger collaborator, and this record captures exactly that alchemy. "Rhythm A Ning" documents Gil Evans in the late 1980s, working alongside Laurent Cugny, who shares arranging and conducting duties throughout. The result is a session that honors Evans' unmistakable orchestral instincts while carrying the energy of a fresh partnership.

The record was recorded and mixed at Studio Acousti in Paris, with sessions taking place across three days in November 1987. La Nevada was captured on the second, London on the third, and the title track along with Charles Mingus's Sound Of Love followed later that month on the twenty sixth. Those Parisian sessions lend the whole set a certain warmth, the sound of a room where care was taken with every layer.

The program opens with Rhythm-A-Ning, a piece that gives the ensemble room to stretch and swing under the guidance of Evans and Cugny. It flows into London, before the second side turns toward the reflective. Charles Mingus's Sound Of Love is the emotional heart here, a ballad that lets the arrangers show their gift for color and texture, honoring the spirit of a fellow giant of the music.

La Nevada closes the album with a sense of expansive momentum, the kind of extended canvas on which Evans always painted so beautifully. Across these four selections, the interplay between the two conductors is the story, two sensibilities finding common ground in the language of large ensemble jazz.

The package is rounded out by liner notes from both Laurent Cugny and Alain Tercinet, offering context and commentary on the music and its making. This pressing also includes the original printed innersleeve, a small but meaningful detail for collectors who value a record presented as it was first intended.

For anyone drawn to Gil Evans and the sweep of his orchestral vision, this is a rewarding chapter in his long career, a Paris date that pairs the arranger with a new voice and lets both breathe. It belongs on the shelf of any listener who treasures the art of the arrangement.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Rhythm-A-Ning
A2. London
B1. Charles Mingus's Sound Of Love
B2. La Nevada

Credits:
Gil Evans - Arranged By, Conductor
Laurent Cugny - Arranged By, Conductor, Liner Notes, Producer
Alain Tercinet - Liner Notes

Notes:
Recorded and Mixed at Studio Acousti, Paris
#1,3 : November 26, 1987
#2,5 : November 3, 1987
#4 : November 2, 1987

Original printed innersleeve.

Artist: Gil Evans

Supporting Artists: Laurent Cugny, Big Band Lumière

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: EmArcy

Catalog Number: 836 401-1

Release Year: 1988

Country: France