One of the two most important associations in the early development of the incredible talent of Bill Evans was undoubtedly his nine-month 1958 stay with the Miles Davis Sextet that also included John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley.

The other was the year-and-a-half span in which Scott LaFaro was the bassist in Bill’s newly-formed trio and they developed their remarkable creative rapport, working towards what Evans termed "simultaneous improvisation." Portrait in Jazz was the first of four albums by the Evans/LaFaro/Motian team; in it can clearly be heard the exciting sound of new ideas being born.