Undercurrent

Undercurrent was produced by Alan Douglas, with Evans on piano and Hall on guitar; it was Evans's first album as leader since he had stopped recording after Scott LaFaro's death in July 1961, resuming in October 1961 as a sideman. Hall recalled that George Russell's circle made joint records feel natural. There are no Evans originals: the tracks are "My Funny Valentine" (the one up-tempo piece, recorded last), "I Hear a Rhapsody", "Dream Gypsy" by Judith Veevers, "Romain" by Hall, "Skating in Central Park" by John Lewis and "Darn That Dream". The cover is Toni Frissell's photograph Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida. Solid State reissued it in 1968, and a 2002 Blue Note CD added "Stairway to the Stars", "I'm Getting Sentimental over You" and alternate takes.

DownBeat's Pete Welding gave it five stars in November 1962, calling it some of the most beautiful, thoroughly ingratiating music he had heard. AllMusic's Scott Yanow gave it four stars, the Penguin Guide four, and the biographer Peter Pettinger wrote that the pair avoided the pitfalls of combining two chordal instruments. Some discographies date its release to 1963.