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Tenderly: An Informal Session is one of those releases that will thrill collectors but isn't recommended to casual listeners. Informal certainly describes the contents of this CD, which focuses on some no-drums, no-bass duets that pianist Bill Evans and vibist Don Elliott performed in the latter's Connecticut studio in 1956 and 1957. The performances are essentially a jam/rehearsal -- Evans and Elliott never meant for any of these recordings to be released commercially, and they remained in the can until Fantasy assembled Tenderly in 2001. Unfortunately, the sound quality isn't great -- listenable, but not great. There is way too much tape hiss, and recordings from 1956 and 1957 have the sort of pre-high fidelity sound you would expect from 78-era recordings. Even so, Evans' hardcore fans will enjoy this CD because it's interesting to hear the pianist in such a loose and informal setting. Evans and Elliott don't sound very focused -- Tenderly is simply two colleagues getting together, rehearsing, jamming, and having a friendly musical dialogue. Well-known standards dominate the album, although Tenderly also contains an early performance of Evans' "Funkallero" (which the pianist didn't record commercially until the early '60s). Again, Tenderly is far from essential and isn't for those who have only a casual interest in Evans' pianism -- this CD is strictly for collectors, who will want a copy despite its imperfections.

© Alex Henderson /TiVo