I chose to isolate these five measures since they provide a final sense of serenity prior to the tumult that will follow. In the first bar of the excerpt, Evans moves from the open-fifths motif to a theme consisting of minor thirds; each third, E5 – G5, is prefaced by a grace note. Of particular interest here is no longer a cascading contour, but the diminution of the phrase from eighth-note triplets to sixteenth-notes to sixteenth-note quintuplets. This brilliantly drives the music, which could have been a stagnate line, to an exciting temporary climax.
After the brief propulsion, the temperate mood is highlighted by devoting nearly an entire measure to the left hand accompaniment. An arpeggiated, descending melody, in the fourth bar of the example, is anticipated by the pitch C7. A series of broken chords follows.
A calmness resonates through this movement. Moreover, notice how Evans employs the upper register of the piano to capture, as Miles Davis proclaimed, “crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall.”
Crystal notes, indeed.
This Quiet Fire 