The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961

by Bill Evans Trio

Overview

Pianist Bill Evans’s live recordings at the Village Vanguard, featuring his groundbreaking trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, are rightly considered the apex of his monumental, if relatively short, career. By bringing together two of the greatest jazz albums of all time -- Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby -- we are now, in turn, given one box set for the ages. The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 actually goes beyond the original albums by sequencing the tracks in chronological order, reinstating audience responses, and adding a previously unreleased take of “Gloria’s Step.” Now, on three CDs, we can savor the all the poetry and telepathic interplay that made these recordings so influential and durably listenable, in a new, possibly even more satisfying, manner. The purity of Evans’s touch, the fullness of LaFaro’s tone, and Motian’s responsive sensitivity are more present than ever. This unit rewrote the book when it came to modern piano trios; their inventiveness and lyrical approach remain unsurpassed. No matter if you already own the original Vanguard albums, or are a curious Evans neophyte -- this is an essential set.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/13/2005
Label:	Riverside
UPC:	0025218444323
catalogNumber:	4443
Rank:	2323

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Spoken Introduction
2. Gloria's Step
3. Alice in Wonderland
4. My Foolish Heart
5. All of You
6. Announcement and Intermission
7. My Romance
8. Some Other Time
9. Solar

Disc 2

1. Gloria's Step
2. My Man's Gone Now
3. All of You
4. Detour Ahead
5. Discussing Repertoire
6. Waltz for Debby
7. Alice in Wonderland
8. Porgy (I Loves You, Porgy)
9. My Romance
10. Milestones

Disc 3

1. Detour Ahead
2. Gloria's Step
3. Waltz for Debby
4. All of You
5. Jade Visions
6. Jade Visions
7. ...A Few Final Bars

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bill Evans Trio   Primary Artist
Bill Evans   Piano
Scott LaFaro   Bass,Double Bass
Paul Motian   Drums

Technical Credits

Leonard Bernstein   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Miles Davis   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Betty Comden   Composer
Adolph Green   Composer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
Orrin Keepnews   Producer,Liner Notes,Audio Production
Scott LaFaro   Composer
Cole Porter   Composer
Ned Washington   Composer
Victor Young   Composer
Jamie Putnam   Art Direction
DuBose Heyward   Composer
Stuart Kremsky   Tape Research
David O Jones   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

The music recorded by Bill Evans on June 25, 1961, has long since acquired legendary status. Evans, a brilliant pianist whose unique voicings have influenced over a generation of jazz pianists who have followed him, weaves one masterpiece after another with bassist Scott LaFaro (a promising composer and phenomenal bassist) and the equally valuable drummer Paul Motian. The interplay between them is phenomenal throughout each of their five sets from the final day of a summer gig at the Village Vanguard. This beautifully remastered three-CD collection restores the previously omitted take of "Gloria's Step" (marred only by a brief power outage) and the humorous finale by Evans at the end of the night (first issued in the massive Complete Riverside Recordings box set). The songs are in their original recorded sequence, adding a bit of ambience and audience reaction between numbers. Sadly, it was the trio's final recording, as LaFaro died in a car crash ten days later. The selections from this three-CD box set have been reissued numerous times over the years, but this is the first time that all of them have been collected in one U.S. release. Orrin Keepnews, the original producer, updates the liner notes he previously contributed to earlier issues of this music with a thoughtful commentary. This is an essential purchase, whether you are a novice or seasoned jazz fan. [Released on vinyl in November 2014.]

All Music Guide - Ken Dryden