Bill Evans Jazz Piano Lick Analysis 4 | Beautiful Love Minor ii–V–i

Analyze a phrase from Bill Evans Trio’s Beautiful Love on Explorations (1961), focusing on ascending lines over Em7(♭5)–A7 and a descending resolution over Dm. Performance: Bill Evans Trio / Track: Beautiful Love / Album: Explorations (1961, Riverside Records). Exact transcription timestamp not yet verified.

Full Phrase | Building and Releasing Tension

Em7(♭5) | Ascending E Locrian

E Locrian: E – F – G – A – B♭ – C – D. Moving upward step by step creates momentum toward the dominant chord.

A7 | Altered Scale and Chromatic Color

A altered: A – B♭ – C – C♯ – E♭ – F – G. Focus on the neighboring tones 1 → ♭9 → ♯9 → 3 (A → B♭ → C → C♯) to build tension.

Dm | Descending Chord-Tone Resolution

9 → 1 → 5 → 3 → 9 → 1 (E → D → A → F → E → D). A clear descending line of chord tones and the ninth provides a satisfying close.

Key Takeaway

Build intensity with ascending motion over the ii and V chords, then resolve with a simple descending idea on the tonic. Phrase direction matters as much as note choice.

Notation and analysis: Seiya Matsushita (Pivo Music School)