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TITLE:
Sunday at the Village Vanguard
ARTIST:
Bill Evans Trio
PERSONNEL: Bill Evans(p), Scott LaFaro(b), Paul Motian(d).
TRACK LISTING:
1. Gloria's Step (take 2)
2. Gloria's Step (take 3)
3. My Man's Gone Now
4. Solar
5. Alice in Wonderland (take 2)
6. Alice in Wonderland (take 1)
7. All of You (take 2)
8. All of You (take 3)
9. Jade Visions (take 2)
10.Jade Visions (take 1)
Original Release Date: 1961
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The Bill Evans trio had been playing together for
nearly two years by the time these dates at the Village
Vanguard were recorded, but the group was underrecorded because
Evans, ever the perfectionist, was reluctant to commit "final"
performances of these compositions to vinyl. Fortunately,
a date on June 25, 1961 is documented pretty much in its entirety
on this album and the follow-up disc Waltz for Debby.
Ten days after these recordings were made, bassist Scott La
Faro, a key member of the trio and a sparkling jazz bassist,
was killed in an automobile accident.
Evans didn't believe in his talent, particularly in the early
years of his career, and had to be persuaded by Orrin Keepnews
to record for the Riverside Label. Evans felt he lacked natural
talent and so worked incredibly hard to develop his playing.
His first recording, New Jazz Conceptions, received
positive reviews, but did not sell at all. Evans went on working
as a sideman with a variety of musicians, including Art Farmer,
Lee Konitz, and George Russell. He then put in a stint with
Miles Davis, backing Davis, John Coltrane, and Cannonball
Adderley. He played with Davis for about 10 months before
once again assuming a leadership role and recording the album
Everybody Digs Bill Evans. Then it was back to Miles
for the famous Kind
of Blue sessions. Davis had Evans write the liner notes
for the album, further enhancing the mystique of the classic
set.
Evans believed that the trio should be a meeting of equals,
with the bass and drums taking on a more active role than
the timekeeping to which they were usually relegated. This
concept is heard very clearly on Sunday at the Village
Vanguard--LaFaro plays around the chords and is able to
compliment Evans' piano stylings while Motian is able to provide
much more coloration than the usual drumwork.
The result is the most breathtakingly beautiful music imaginable,
and almost definitely the best jazz trio work you'll ever
hear. It is clear that the three musicians were listening
and communicating with each other at the highest possible
level, and that energy makes listening to the performance
exciting even though most of the tracks are fairly mellow
in nature.
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The album kicks off with LaFaro's composition "Gloria's
Step" presented in two takes. The piece demonstrates
another side of LaFaro's talent, that of composer, and makes
one truly mourn the loss of such a talent at the age of
23. The first thing you'll notice is that pretty much any
jazz pianist who came after this, and certainly any pianist
who worked extensively in the trio format, was influenced
by Evans. If you listen to another pianist after listening
to Evans, though, it will sound different, no matter how
much the pianist was influenced by Evans' work. This is
because part of Evans' unique "voice", his chord
voicings aside, was his touch and ability to finely nuance
his playing. "Solar" provides the trio with an
energetic workout, giving Motian, in particular, a chance
to increase the energy level. Again, it's incredible to
hear how far LaFaro's lyrical bass work is from just walking
the chords. There are moments on the album when you'll wonder
whether Evans or LaFaro was the sideman in this group--an
that's as Evans wanted it.
Bill Evans had a real thing for waltzes--one of his most
famous tunes is "Waltz for Debby"--and you get
a few instances on this recording as well. "Alice In
Wonderland" is almost as transcendant as "Debby"
in its lyrical 3/4 swing, its melody heartbreakingly simple
and beautiful. "My Man's Gone" is also a ballad,
albeit a much slower one. The kind of grace needed to play
a jazz waltz is something most pianists just don't quite
have, but Bill Evans had the ability to play them as if
there was no effort involved. The CD concludes with another
LaFaro composition, "Jade Visions", a tune that
recalls some of Herbie Hancock's explorations (a bit, anyway).
But whereas Hancock would have played a piece like this
in a more muscular and intensive fashion, Evans plays it
very, very quietly.
You'll notice that I haven't said much about individual
solos here. That is because this is one of those rare albums
that you are better off listening to than reading about.
Whatever I say here is only words, and really can't begin
to convey the intimacy and communication you'll receive
from listening to the recording. Even Bill Evans, one of
the most articulate musicians in all of jazz, knew that.
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