The 1961 engagement of Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian at the Village Vanguard is widely considered to be one of the most historic in jazz. This 3-CD set presents all five sets the trio performed in their original order. First time available in the U.S.! Bill Evans, with virtuoso bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, reinvented the jazz piano trio, creating stunning contrapuntal dialogues that merged luminous lyricism with layers of complex, elusive harmonies, its moments of limpid beauty suddenly giving way to surging rhythms. The trio's finest recorded moments, these performances were captured just 10 days before LaFaro's death in a car accident. The original releases--Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby--are celebrated masterpieces. This three-CD set is a brilliant reissue--almost a revision--of that material, with superb sound from the newly remastered original tapes and all of the music presented in the sequence of the original five sets, adding a previously unissued take of "Gloria's Step," spoken introductions, and the band's incidental conversation. For those who know this music, it's a chance to hear it in a fresh way; for new listeners, it will come as a revelation at a bargain price. --Stuart Broomer
The following is my May 2004 review of the 2002 Japanese IMPORT edition of this seminal recording, and my views (and review) of it remain."Jazz's Perfect Afternoon" a review of _Bill Evans: The Complete Live at the Village Vanguard 1961_ (Tokyo Japan: Victor Entertainment, 2002), recorded in performance at the Village Vanguard, New York, NY, 25 June 1961, with Bill Evans, piano; Scott LaFaro, bass, and Paul Motian, drums. (VICJ-60951-3) boxed set of 3 compact discs in separate jewel-box cases and a 13 pp. p..
Chuck Ralston has already provided an extensive and very helpful review of this release. His website dedicated to Scott LaFaro is worth the attention of all jazz fans.This day of recordings at the Village Vanguard produced two magical albums, _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_ and _Waltz for Debby_. Later reissues on compact disc included alternative takes. This release, previously only available overseas, supersedes all the others. As Ralston notes, it is the first to include the opening number of the da..
I came at this album kind of backwards - I first listened to CDs of Evans playing with Tony Bennett, then solo, then live at Montreux with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette (trying to hear him at his most upbeat). I knew that this was one of the most revered albums in jazz, but I couldn't help but wonder what the fuss was all about. How much better could it be?Much better. First, the recording quality on this album blows away the Montreux album. Yes, there's glasses clinking and occasional chit-chat, but ..
