In June 1961, Bill Evans & his bandmates (bassist Scott LaFaro & drummer Paul Motian) spent a magical Sunday making musical history at New York's famed Village Vanguard. Not only did they reinvent the conceptions surrounding how a piano trio should sound; they also made themselves the epitome of great musicianship, group telepathy at its very best (Keith Jarrett's trio with Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette is pretty awesome in both areas as well).
For roughly 2 1/2 hours, Evans, LaFaro & Motian went on flights of fancy, even when they performed the standard ballads of the day. The original releases & some of the group's brightest recorded moments from the Village Vanguard that day - Waltz for Debby and Sunday at the Village Vanguard - are classics, masterpieces in their own right. At the same time, each of these albums feature Bill Evans at the height of his powers, & this short-lived group at the top of its improvisational game.
On the 3-CD box set, The Complete Village Vanguard Sessions, 1961, we not only get these albums re-issued but also this is an outstanding revision of the said material. Seriously, it's that awesome. Not only is the sound more full of life & spark; it also features the original five sets exactly as they went down (that is to say, all of the tunes are in chronological order). You can hear the tinkling of glasses, audience chatter, incidental conversation on stage...but the music's the main star of the show. If that weren't enough, this box set comes at a reasonable price; no need to shell out $40 for such wonderful music as only this edition of the Bill Evans trio could deliver.
The very first piece of music, previously unissued until now, the LaFaro composition "Gloria's Step," kicks things off. Just over a minute into this song, a brief power outage occurred (the main premise for why it wasn't issued until this compilation); otherwise, this piece is a stunning work of beauty that's undeniable with Evans' work on the ivories & LaFaro's bass solo being the main highlights. And of course, Motian could swing with the best of them when it came to great drumming in a trio context.
Ballads like "My Foolish Heart," "Some Other Time," & "Detour Ahead" sound passionate not only in group interplay & interaction but also in overall delivery. On the other hand, "All Of You," the aforementioned "Gloria's Step," "Waltz for Debby" & "Milestones" are as smoking as they are pure swinging. Another LaFaro composition, "Jade Visions" is forward-thinking, indicating the musical direction this trio could have taken if Scott had not lost his life so soon.
What can I say about this magical Sunday which Bill Evans & bandmates created musical history at the Village Vanguard? It's truly amazing, truly essential music, without a doubt. If I must say so myself, it's full of richness & color which makes it one of the most important live recordings ever committed to tape. To be honest, Bill Evans set a course for other jazz musicians to follow (Jarrett just being one of those guys) in group mind at its finest & at its peak. Evans made more awesome live recordings, no question; however, with The Complete Village Vanguard Sessions, 1961, we can hear how things came together so perfectly for three men & the audience whom they were playing for on June 25. Consider this an essential must-have if you love piano trios with a passion or if you love jazz done right in a live setting.
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