BILL EVANS was born in Plainfield, N.J., on Aug. 16, 1929, to a mother [Maria Soroka] of Ukrainian ancestry and a father [Harry Evans] of Welsh descent.

Through Bill Evans, the piano was freed from rhythmic constraints and allowed to create subtle new ideas of touch and accent. He was a major sideman with Miles Davis in the late ’50s, and his groundbreaking trio with drummer Paul Motian and bassist Scott LaFaro in the early ’60s introduced a freer conception of group improvisation during the famous Village Vanguard Sessions.

This playlist is a token sampling from perhaps the greatest jazz pianist of his era.