In February 1958, Russell, at Miles Davis's urging, drove Evans over to the Colony Club in Brooklyn, to play with Davis' sextet.
By that time, the band consisted of John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.
Evans knew it was an audition, and that he might replace the recently fired Red Garland.
By the end of the night, Davis told Evans that he would be playing their next engagement in Philadelphia.
While the band used to play a mixture of jazz standards and bebop originals, by that time Davis had begun his venture in modal jazz, having just released his album Milestones.

Evans joined the group in April 1958.
The band appeared in radio broadcasts on Saturday nights and, on May 3, the new formation made its first broadcast from Café Bohemia (its usual locale).
On May 17, the radio material would be recorded on the album Makin' Wax, the first documented evidence of Evans with Davis.
By mid-May, Jimmy Cobb replaced Philly Joe Jones, with whom Evans had developed a close friendship.
On May 26, Evans made his first studio recordings with Davis, which were first issued as part of Jazz Track, and later reissued on 1958 Miles.

A performance of the Ballets Africains from Guinea, in 1958, had originally sparked Davis' interest in modal music.
This music stayed for long periods of time on a single chord, weaving in and out of consonance and dissonance.
Another influence was George Russell's treatise.
Both influences coalesced in Davis' conception of modal jazz offering an alternative to chord changes and major/minor key relationships, relying instead on a series of modal scales.
He realized that Evans, who had worked with Russell, could follow him into modal music.
At the same time, Evans introduced Davis to European classical music.

The band's mostly black followers did not react favourably to the replacement of the charismatic Garland with a white musician.
Davis used to tease him and Evans's sensitivity perhaps let it get to him.
 However, the band began to find a new, smoother groove, as Adderley noted: "When he started to use Bill, Miles changed his style from very hard to a softer approach."

In July 1958, Evans appeared as a sideman on Adderley's album Portrait of Cannonball, featuring the first performance of "Nardis", specially written by Davis for the session.
While Davis was not very satisfied with the performance, he said that from then on, Evans was the only one to play it in the way he wanted.
The piece came to be associated with Evans's future trios, which played it frequently.

By the end of the summer, Davis knew Evans was quickly approaching his full professional development; and that he would soon decide to leave Davis' group.
This year, Evans won the Down Beat International Critics' Poll for his work with Davis and his album New Jazz Conceptions.

In September 1958, Evans recorded as a sideman in Art Farmer's album Modern Art, also featuring Benny Golson.
All three had won the Down Beat poll.
 Later, Evans deemed this record as one of his favorites.
During this period, despite all the successes, Evans was visiting a psychiatrist, as he was unsure whether he wanted to continue as a pianist.

Evans left Davis' sextet in November 1958 and stayed with his parents in Florida and his brother in Louisiana.
While he was burned out, one of the main reasons for leaving was his father's illness.
During this sojourn, the always self-critical Evans suddenly felt his playing had improved. "
While I was staying with my brother in Baton Rouge, I remember finding that somehow I had reached a new level of expression in my playing.
It had come almost automatically, and I was very anxious about it, afraid I might lose it."

Shortly after, he moved back to New York, and in December Evans recorded the trio album Everybody Digs Bill Evans for Riverside Records with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Philly Joe Jones.
This was Evans's second album as a leader, since New Jazz Conceptions, recorded two years earlier.
While producer Orrin Keepnews had many times tried to persuade Evans to make a second trio recording, th
In February 1958, Russell, at Miles Davis's urging, drove Evans over to the Colony Club in Brooklyn, to play with Davis' sextet. By that time, the band consisted of John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. Evans knew it was an audition, and that he might replace the recently fired Red Garland. By the end of the night, Davis told Evans that he would be playing their next engagement in Philadelphia. While the band used to play a mixture of jazz standards and bebop originals, by that time Davis had begun his venture in modal jazz, having just released his album Milestones.
Evans joined the group in April 1958. The band appeared in radio broadcasts on Saturday nights and, on May 3, the new formation made its first broadcast from Café Bohemia (its usual locale). On May 17, the radio material would be recorded on the album Makin' Wax, the first documented evidence of Evans with Davis. By mid-May, Jimmy Cobb replaced Philly Joe Jones, with whom Evans had developed a close friendship. On May 26, Evans made his first studio recordings with Davis, which were first issued as part of Jazz Track, and later reissued on 1958 Miles.
A performance of the Ballets Africains from Guinea, in 1958, had originally sparked Davis' interest in modal music. This music stayed for long periods of time on a single chord, weaving in and out of consonance and dissonance. Another influence was George Russell's treatise. Both influences coalesced in Davis' conception of modal jazz offering an alternative to chord changes and major/minor key relationships, relying instead on a series of modal scales. He realized that Evans, who had worked with Russell, could follow him into modal music. At the same time, Evans introduced Davis to European classical music.
The band's mostly black followers did not react favourably to the replacement of the charismatic Garland with a white musician. Davis used to tease him and Evans's sensitivity perhaps let it get to him.  However, the band began to find a new, smoother groove, as Adderley noted: "When he started to use Bill, Miles changed his style from very hard to a softer approach."
In July 1958, Evans appeared as a sideman on Adderley's album Portrait of Cannonball, featuring the first performance of "Nardis", specially written by Davis for the session. While Davis was not very satisfied with the performance, he said that from then on, Evans was the only one to play it in the way he wanted. The piece came to be associated with Evans's future trios, which played it frequently.
By the end of the summer, Davis knew Evans was quickly approaching his full professional development; and that he would soon decide to leave Davis' group. This year, Evans won the Down Beat International Critics' Poll for his work with Davis and his album New Jazz Conceptions.
In September 1958, Evans recorded as a sideman in Art Farmer's album Modern Art, also featuring Benny Golson. All three had won the Down Beat poll.  Later, Evans deemed this record as one of his favorites. During this period, despite all the successes, Evans was visiting a psychiatrist, as he was unsure whether he wanted to continue as a pianist.
Evans left Davis' sextet in November 1958 and stayed with his parents in Florida and his brother in Louisiana. While he was burned out, one of the main reasons for leaving was his father's illness. During this sojourn, the always self-critical Evans suddenly felt his playing had improved. "While I was staying with my brother in Baton Rouge, I remember finding that somehow I had reached a new level of expression in my playing. It had come almost automatically, and I was very anxious about it, afraid I might lose it."
Shortly after, he moved back to New York, and in December Evans recorded the trio album Everybody Digs Bill Evans for Riverside Records with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Philly Joe Jones. This was Evans's second album as a leader, since New Jazz Conceptions, recorded two years earlier. While producer Orrin Keepnews had many times tried to persuade Evans to make a second trio recording, th
Bill Evans