Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961

First of all, I was blown away by the recording. The ambience of the audience only adds to the feeling that you are right there, front row, listening, watching three guys ripping it. This is truly one of the best live recordings I have heard, jazz or otherwise. The reperoire between the musicians seems almost telepathic, but the audience doesnt really appreciate the specialness of what they are hearing. They had no idea that less than a month later Scott Lefaro would be tragically killed in an auto accident.

This was a great purchase, but be forewarned, the track sequence can be a problem , it comes in the form of 3 MP3 album downloads. The correct sequence is shown on the album sample page on Amazon. You may have to edit some track #s to get it in the correct chronological order. Once you have that sorted, the entire collection can be burned onto two Audio Cds.

Do yourself a favor, get this one...

This is a very good sample of the Bill Evans trio at its best. Its interesting, enjoyable and mellow but it is not innovative. This set will impress fans of Dave Brubeck and mellow jazz but it will disappoint listners expecting "Kind of Blue" and John Coltrane style innovation.
If you like the mellow Bill Evans style I recommend his "Nirvana" set with Herbie Mann. I personally feel "Nirvana" is a more innovative recording of this style.

Even though I had the two original Riverside LP's and two later CD's purporting to contain remastered essentials from the session, Amazon's price for the latest three-disc collection was too attractive to pass up. After listening to the three discs in sequence, I now question if I even heard what was on the previous recordings. This is at once stunning and immeasurably satisfying music, LaFaro and Evans "in the moment" as never before, their empathy, individual genius, and shared quest of discovery brought to vivid realization for the listener. Not until his final trio with bassist Marc Johnson would the pianist again approach such a level of artistry, but there would be no possibility of a return to the moment of incipient splendor. This may be the greatest value on Amazon, but there's no way to put a price on the music herein. Even if you've limited or stopped purchasing the endangered CD (now apparently going the way of the LP), this one had better be the exception. Forget the download. Both you and Bill deserve better.

WARNING (read the directions): Shortly into the first track, "Gloria's Step," there's an audio drop-out that sounds like some flawed CDs that I've purchased. I requested a replacement from Amazon before reading the enclosed booklet. The one-second gap of silence is a technical glitch or power failure with the Ampex tape recorder, captured just as it transpired (or momentarily expired) on that Sunday afternoon, June 25, 1961.

Warning #2: Listen to "All of You," Take 1 (which moreover was rejected!). Comparing it to Jarrett's version will only convince you that jazz piano has regressed over the past 30 years. Same with Mehldau, or just about any new pianist, however "original." Bill was sui generis. He can become old, at times stale, during the vast "middle period." But on these sets (and anything pre-1961) as well as his last 18 months (1979-80), his music can be more inexhaustibly satisfying than 2000 of my best CDs. In fact, no other artist's music is required (though I guess I would miss Diz, Stitt, and Hank Mobley).

I can give you a book full of reasons why, if you are into jazz, or into piano, or into music in general, you need to buy this set of recordings. Suffice to say, Bill Evans was the peak, the bee's knees, the top of the pole in his time, and this captures some of his brightest and best moments, all in one collection. Delightful tunes, both standards and not so, and alternate takes that shed light on the music making process and the insight that Bill brought to his music. You will read or hear about other jazz pianists who are billed as "the next Bill Evans", or who are "as good as Bill Evans", but whatever, number one: don't believe it, and number two: buy and listen to this set to see what "they" are talking about. This is a wonderful piece of jazz history, and you can have it in your home as fast as the UPS truck can get there. If you prefer studio versions to live, you can get Waltz for Debby or Portrait in Jazz, but be warned that they'll probably make you want to buy this set anyway.

Occasionally I read a review on Amazon and then order the item - and wonder what planet the people who gave it high marks are living on. Not so for this gem. This is the REAL DEAL. Others have been far more eloquent than I could ever hope to be in explaining WHY it's so good. Let me simply say this: I've got a half a gazillion jazz recordings and this rates right up there with the very best of them. It's just really good music, really well recorded. And, at this price, it's a truly great deal as well. You won't be disappointed.

Jazz piano heaven.
This is the long-awaited full day of music from all the various Village Vanguard releases over the years. Every note is here, as well as some between songs chatter. The various takes of various songs add up to a master class in piano and bass improvising; LaFaro died shortly after this day and Evans was never the same. Thankfully, we have this sublime music from their unique interplay at its apex.
This is a great buy; over two and a half hours of transcendent jazz in perfectly remastered sound for twenty bucks (and you can then burn all the music onto two cds, it just fits; you'll never get angry during rush hour again with this music playing). It truly sounds fabulous, much finer than the earlier cds of this material, warm and immediate. It's so real that the chatter of folks in the quiet moments often makes me think there's someone else in the room with me (and how can they talk while this music is being played? Some folks just don't know good music even when they're sitting beside the piano).
My only qualm is the endless bass soloing. Yes, LaFaro was a very musical and sensitive player, but I just can't take the minutes-long excursions on almost every tune. It's a monophonic instrument, and frankly even LaFaro gets boring to my ears, especially when one of the all-time piano geniuses is sitting unused three feet away. Scott's genius was how he pushed Bill to play at his outer limits while creating superb counterpoint to Evans' ideas; the bass soloing sounds nice once every three tunes or so, but I just find it boring after a while; the bass is not a solo instrument that excites me. But, each to his own!
Some Evans fans consider this date his ultimate moment. It's certainly one of them, but there are so many gems it's hard to pick just one. Suffice to say that alongside Portrait In Jazz, Know What I Mean, Moonbeams, Everybody Digs, Undercurrent, the Keystone dates in 1980, the Paris Concert, the solo albums, and oh, a handful of others, it's glorious proof that Evans was one of the finest pianists, jazz, classical or otherwise, to grace this planet.
A must in any jazz library.

This has become one of my favorite jazz recordings. I never heard the original vinyl, but, even if there was extensive processing and restoration, here, you won't believe the quality of this recording. Kudos to the original engineers. With that out of the way, Bill Evans is impeccable, and I'd never heard of Scott LaFaro (on bass), but he really rocks here. I could (and do) listen to this set over and over again.
Six stars!

As the applause reveals (you can almost count the pairs of hands clapping by ear) and the sleeve notes confirm, there weren't many people at the Village Vanguard on that now famous afternoon and evening. Today, how many people must wish they were there. This superb box set is the next best thing.

For your ears only.....some people think that Bill evans is a "nice musician" Like its musac in an elevator. Listen to "my foolish heart" with headphones on, eyes closed, cranked! Let yourself get inside the music...listen to the subtleness of his playing...let it take you on a journey. This song, I think, shows the essence of bill evans. Scott lafaro and evans together is a killer combo, unfortunately there is not much out there from their short collaberation. This makes this 3 disc set a must own!

I was lucky enough to hear Bill Evans, Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro in person at the Vanguard. This recording is the next best thing to being there because you hear everything the recordng engineer heard. Being there was unforgettable. Evans is the Chopin of America, in my opinion, except Chopin didn't swing or (to my knowledge) improvise. This group of sidemen constituted Evans' best trio ever.

This set was my first introduction to Bill Evans...and what an introduction. A marvelous album in so many ways. Even if you are not a jazz fanatic, this is one box set to own.

Execellent, both as an introduction or if you've been listening to jazz for a while. Only gets better over time.

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 it tells part of the story, as does the enemic applause. The bass tone is clear and full. The cymbals are not oppressive. It is amazing what such a meager recording setup can achieve in the right hands. If you have fear based on other bad jazz recordings, have no fear here.

Then there's the players. Bill Evans is Bill Evans - he has his good days and bad days, and most players people long in vain to live up to his bad days. And this was a good day, indeed. Then there's Scott LaFaro on bass. You really have to hear him play to appreciate just how much better than just about everyone else he was. He is busy yet tasteful, innovative and compelling to listen to. It would be a rare player indeed to come even close. Then there's Motian on drums. Based on other things I heard, I expected him to sit back, keep the beat and stay out of the way. He keeps the lid on the volume, but he plays with a control and intensity that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Unlike Jack DeJohnette, his timing syncs up precisely with Evans. His contribution to this trio should not be underestimated.

Then there are the songs. Each song is like an artichoke - dig a little deeper and you get a brand new flower. My favorites include Milestones with the upbeat drums and tasty chord voicings, the sweet playing on Alice and Wonderland, and the bass harmonics on Some Other Time, but there are so many good parts, and no weak ones. I'm sure my take will change over time as I become more familiar with the songs.

Finally, the context of the recording plays a big part in my overall impression. The small bits of applause add some irony to this recording - who knew that that this largely ignored day-in-the life of three underappreciated musicians would spawn albums, articles, and new jazz players for decades to come? The knowledge of LaFaro's impending death, his strained relationship with Evans, Evans' drug problems, Evan's profound grief at the death of LaFaro, and the fact that Evans is now gone all color my experience of this recording significantly. This album is a microcosm of the many tragedies and occasional triumphs in the strange and sometimes wonderful world of jazz. And a truly fine listening experience.

I just don't get tired of listening to this disc set. I can play and replay the tracks and it continues to reward. Just outstanding!

this is the greatest jazz piano trio recording i have ever heard. bill evans interplay with bassist Scott LaFaro is pure magic. i have played this on dozens and dozens of late nights and still feel the freshness of the playing after all these years. one of my all-time favorite jazz albums.

Piano (jazz and otherwise) was transformed when Bill Evans arrived on the scene. Miles' Kind of Blue wouldn't be what it is without Bill Evans. This just-another-gig at the Village Vanguard is magical. You know when you hear Bird & Dizzy blow, or Count Basie's orchestra shift into overdrive, or hear Coltrane hit some Giant Steps? Those are moments that seem to rise above everything else and give your soul a major lift above the everyday. This afternoon at the Village Vanguard was like that. Evan's playing of "My Foolish Heart" is a gift from a great musical soul. There's hope for humankind when you hear what Bill Evans could do at a piano. I know that sounds grandiose, but it's the way his playing makes me feel. There's hope.

I've been a jazz fan for SOME time now...and knew of Bill Evans...but my girlfriend REALLY got me to give him a good listen - and with my new-found love for his works - I may honestly say - that THIS album is definitive...in fact...it may be his greatest recorded work ever. I highly encourage you to check this out!

It's one of my favorite pieces of music on earth. I don't think I need to add much to that and to what others have said. Dig it.

These trio recordings of Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian captured the culmination of their work together (18 months) but also represented perhaps the best trio work ever done - an equal spontaneous partnership that allowed each to interweave their ideas with those of the other two. When I first learned that the recordings had been remastered, my first hope was that all the noises of conversation and glasses clinking would be removed. I'm happy now the extraneous noise remains because it reminds me how easy it is for us to become involved and preoccupied with our own banalities while a masterpiece could be emerging around us.

The enormous transcendence of Bill Evans mainly resides in the grandness of his genius. His stature as creator of atmospheres makes absolutely sterile to intend label him into any category. His music has no time, due he surpassed the circumstantial episodes and simple anecdotes, his notable musicality always enriched and enhanced the score he played.

And so, this album confirms it. An anthological album worthy to collect it.

Although I still praise JVC for coming up with this idea of presenting the entire recording as it was performed in the first place, this US reissue surpasses the previous issue in Japan in two ways;
1) Price, what a good deal!
2) No irritating liner notes by a Japanese critic who keeps calling Bill Evans Jewish for no clear reason.
It's an Bill Evans freaks' dream come true. Just get it and dig it!

This is an amazing set. Nothing about it is routine. It can still after some 40 years delight and challenge most listeners. Evans plays with harmonic sophistication and simplicity that is often infused with real romance. "Waltz for Debbie" is a great example of this.

It seems as though all three musicians are improvising simultaneously a good part of the time. This can be challenging to the listener, but often times, it seems as though the musicians can truly read the other musician's minds.

This is a great set, but for the non-diehard collector, having just one disc is probably enough with more songs rather than multiple takes of the same songs is better. The record companies tend to put every scrap out to the public which results in multiple discs with multiple takes of the same song. If Evans was alive, this is less likely to have happened. Sometimes, a good editor actually improves the lasting quality of art.

Bill Evans was a very special artist for which I believe we should all be very grateful. This set will show you why.

I can't believe how cheap this set is! This is an incredible find. We listen to it all the time. Even my 13 yr old son (jazz buff) reaches for this often. It's true, you really can hear wine glasses tinkling in the background, and if you try really hard, you can almost hear bits of conversation. These small touches really make you feel like you're there. Evans' piano playing is unbelievable. The three blend together so well. I only wish there was more!

Bill Evans is a master and this comes through brilliantly on this miraculous box set. I listen to this work all the time!!
Waltz for Debbie, My Foolish Heart, Porgy (I love You), and All of You are my favorites!

Bill's playing is immaculate and very much in harmony with Scott, his bass player who passed away. As a piano student, I find that this recording is a great recording to practice and imitate. His chord progressions are so fluid and soft to your ears. I can definitely hear his influence on future generations of jazz pianists.

ENJOY the box set and enjoy of the price as well!!

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 day, LaFaro's composition "Gloria's Step," which was briefly interrupted by a power failure. It also contains the first take of "All of You," previously available on Bill Evans' _Complete Riverside Recordings_, a compilation that's probably beyond most fans' budgets. As an example of the trio's high level of performance that day, it's hard to pick from the three takes of "All of You." This first take, for example, contains drummer Paul Motian's best solo spotlight of the day.

The _Complete Village Vanguard_ allows the listener to follow this great trio over the course of the entire day. It's a priceless experience. One of the sublime moments is the performance of "Porgy," a perfect example of musicians really listening to each other. Once that performance, infamously interrupted by audience chatter and laughter, concludes, LaFaro asks Evans, "What's up?" Evans answers, "My Romance," and then they proceed to discuss how the number will be played. Today listeners hear a performance like "Porgy" and are filled with amazement. On that day the musicians simply moved on to play the next piece.

A final example of why this recording is the one to buy is the trio's final performance of the day, LaFaro's forward-looking composition, "Jade Visions." The listener learns things that previous releases omitted. First, after the third performance of "All of You," someone, perhaps producer Orrin Keepnews or the recording engineer, shouts "do it again!" Evans instead asks LaFaro if he wants to "try that 9/8 tune," meaning "Jade Visions." Considering that "Jade Visions," a piece the trio had not yet played that day, was the last composition they performed together, it's a wonderful example of serendipity. Second, a listener learns that on _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_, the producer inserted audience applause at the conclusion of "Jade Visions." As is true of most jazz club dates, the audience had dwindled by the time the musicians played their last set. The second take of "Jade Visions" ends, not with substantial audience applause, but with LaFaro's bass, followed by a moment of silence before Evans is informed that there's about half a minute of tape left, whereupon he proceeds to play an amusing "few final bars." For music fans, this recording is of the highest historical importance. On that day, however, the Bill Evans Trio was just playing another club date before a small, sometimes engaged, but too often distracted audience.

This much genius in one collection, for this price? Have they lost their minds? Bill Evans pretty much wrote the book on luminous,lyrical jazz piano-playing... and this is an elegant document of his incomparable trio's '61 stand at the Vanguard. Very comprehensive - it even includes lengthy segments of stage patter. A lot of the stuff here has been previously released, but it has never sounded this crystalline and pure...all around great job and a real steal!

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. program booklet in English and Japanese. Running times: CD 1 (60951) -- afternoon sets 1 and 2 -- 49:29 with nine tracks; CD 2 (60952) --evening sets 1 and 2 -- 64:21 with ten tracks; CD 3 (60953) -- evening set 3 -- 39:31 with seven tracks.

The original 1961 recording was produced by Orrin Keepnews and engineered by David Jones of Riverside Records. This 2002 analog-to-digital re-mastering, utilizing the 20-bit K2 Super Coding System, was accomplished by Tamaki Beck of FLAIR (JVC Aoyama Studios, Tokyo) with tape research by Stuart Kremsky, CD assembly by Joe Tarantino, production coordination by Bill Belmont, and design by Yoko Nakamura (program booklet, verso title page). Musical selections are arranged in chronological order of their performance.

Listeners familiar with every audible nook and cranny of the original Bill Evans Riverside LPs Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz For Debby, which recordings comprised most of the music made that magical Sunday in New York in early summer 1961, were amazed later in the 1970s with the re-issue of these recordings along with previously un-released takes. In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, with the advent of the CD, increased sonority and clarity were noticeable. The present compilation continues in this tradition, revealing to the listener the following new information about this seminal recording:

* For the first time we hear an introduction (presumably by producer Orrin Keepnews) of the musicians and the announcement that all is being recorded.
* For the first time, we hear the first take of LaFaro's 'Gloria's Step', the first selection of the first afternoon set, previously un-issued because of the electrical power failure glitch which precluded it from erstwhile releases.
* At the end of the first set we are privileged to listen to Evans' announcement of an intermission followed by discussion of the power failure.
* At the beginning of the second evening set, we hear the musicians discuss the music they are about to perform.
* In addition to the subtlety of Motian's brushwork and LaFaro's strings clacking at times on his instrument's fingerboard, advances in recording technology also amplify the ambient background chatter of the Village Vanguard's loquacious customers and the clinking of glassware reminding us this was but another work day for the Bill Evans Trio.
* Both takes of LaFaro's 'Jade Visions' were performed back to back at the end of the third and final evening set, and of this magnificent recording session.
* At the end of the last set we are permitted to eavesdrop on the wrap-up of this all-day recording session, the first (and what turned out to be the only) "live" recording session of the first Bill Evans trio, with a voice (Orrin Keepnews?) saying to Evans, "Hey, ah, Bill, he's [the recording engineer] got a little tape left. Play something else . . . about 30 seconds . . .", and with Evans responding by playing what to my ear sounds like a ten-second Chaplinesque musical allusion amidst laughter which fades to silence.

Orrin Keepnews, in his The View From Within: Jazz Writings, 1948-1987 (New York, Oxford, 1987), a memoir of his years at Riverside Records working with Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, McCoy Tyner, and others in the recording studio and on "live" sessions, gives us his recollections of this particular recording session at the Village Vanguard:

"Although we [at Riverside Records] were only looking for one album, we felt there would be a better chance of capturing the spontaneous qualities of on-the-job recording in general -- and of this trio in particular -- by being able to make the eventual choice from a larger group of tunes rather than frequently repeating an exact pre-selected repertoire. Thirteen numbers were played in all, five only once, just two as many as three times. Evans was unusually please with the results and -- perhaps also influenced by the realization that this now documented the end of an important stage in his career -- readily agreed to the release of two separate six-tune albums (Sunday at the Village Vanguard, followed by Waltz for Debby). The necessary choices were quite arbitrary; it is clear that nothing played this day was without considerable merit. 'Porgy,' originally omitted for reasons of overall time, was squeezed into an early-70s reissue package, and seven 'rediscovered' alternates filled a mid-1984 album."

Admirers of the Bill Evans Trio will relish listening to this chronological, warts and all, presentation of what Adam Gopnik, in The New Yorker (13 August 2001), called "jazz's perfect afternoon.