Sunday At The Village Vanguard

I have always found Bill Evans to sound like "falling down" -- the sun falling down, the rain falling down, the snow falling down. What makes the Trio so transcendent is the dialogue between piano and bass with the percussion actually guiding the journey.

OK -- you've made your move on the couch, Miles Davis Kind of Blue has just played out but she's just getting warmed up, so what now? You gonna say "excuse me for just a second, don't go anywhere", go put on this record, and resume the snogging.

It's tempting to dismiss Sunday At The Village Vanguard as safe, geriatric and boring, the sort of music you would expect to hear in an upscale hotel lobby bar. But that isn't really fair--the album deserves a closer listen. In most popular (as distinguished from classical) improvisatory music, the function of the rhythm section is to lay down a groove, keep time, and provide a rhythmic and harmonic structure for the soloist to blow over. Bill Evans has had a lot of trios over the years, but this is probably the first one in which each member of the trio could and was expected to fluidly take on any role: time keeping, harmony, soloing, holding down a groove or pulse, etc. This required intense listening from all the members of the trio and is actually very difficult to do well. A close listen will reveal that the trio is communicating almost telepathically, and that the playing is exquisite, which accounts for the legendary status of this album, especially among jazz buffs. That said, if you aren't willing to put in the effort to intensively listen to this music, it will most likely come across as safe, geriatric and boring. That is why I actually prefer other recordings of the Bill Evans Trio, especially Turn Out The Stars, which was recorded shortly before Evans died. Evans pours his heart and soul into those performances with unmatched ferocity, knowing he didn't have long to live. So, how to rate Sunday At The Village Vanguard? Well, for what Evans was going for, it's pretty much perfection, an easy 5/5. However, I have to be honest--I don't really enjoy listening to it that much.

Unexpectedly easy listening, super accessible and engaging. The live format works well, love the chatter and glass clinking. Even though the band's namesake is on Piano I thought the bass was way more impressive. Has got to be the world's most undercover drummer; he's somehow always there but never there. Would definitely benefit from several more listens. All Of You is the highlight. Although lots of the stuff from this era is difficult to relate to and tempting to dismiss, this exercise has made interesting to imagine what it would've sounded like to me in the context of that time in space. Also have been dishing out lots of five stars lately.

I listened to this 8 times yesterday, and will do so again today. This is like the jazz album you wanted to discover to help you get a better understanding. Backstory is amazing, it's just incredible brass free jazz.

One of the first albums I listened to when getting into jazz. Amazing brassless jazz album. Just a piano, drums and bass and it sounds great.

J'ai demandé à Robert Dimery ce que faisait cet album dans la liste des 1001 et il m'a très rapidement répondu (Robert et moi sommes très proches) qu'il voulait à la base ajouter un autre album mais a cliqué sans le faire exprès sur une playlist appelée "3 hours jazz chillax music" et l'a insérée dans les 1001. Robert est quelqu'un d'extrêmement tête en l'air.

Admittedly, I'm not a very sophisticated jazz appreciator; however, this seemed almost featureless, with only parts of "Alice In Wonderland" eliciting a knowing stroke of the chin. Harsh 2*

I have no doubt this is a quality jazz album, but sheesh I nearly fell asleep. The very long bass solo in Solar is just too much for me to handle. I can’t take it. Not enough excitement. This is the background music at a cocktail hour not a concert for which I would want to pay money.

Les voy a ser franco y honesto: es demasiado refinado para mí. Los barriobajeros no escuchamos este tipo de obras maestras.

A jazz album worthy of some serious superlatives. Blissful stuff from open to close. I am a sucker for Alice in Wonderland; this nearly gets 5 starts just for that track.

One of the more remarkable displays of virtuosity you're going to hear. Not from headliner and reluctant cover-boy Bill Evans, but by upright bassist Scott LaFaro. He bounds all the way across the fingerboard playing counters and solos, yet never loses sight of the melody. Evans leads incredibly well from his piano, and very selflessly. His sense of timing and dynamics on album closer (and LaFaro composed) Jade Visions brought me to tears. They clearly knew how to get the best from each other. The Stereo image on the recording is impeccable, capturing every nuance of the players and the club. If there was any downside, it's that I'm often left wanting the drums to do more, aside from the welcome solo on All of You (Take 2). Maybe it's the inner rock-child that still lives inside me, but sometimes there is such a thing as too tasteful. Today's the first time I've heard this trio and any of its member play, and I'm already crushed this was the final time they had a chance to. Scott LaFaro died in a car accident soon after. I couldn't think of any better tribute. PSA to anyone listening on Spotify: The bonus tracks have been mixed in with the originals, following straight after the preferred take. The correct track listing should be: "Gloria's Step" (take 2) – 6:09 "My Man's Gone Now" – 6:21 "Solar" – 8:52 "Alice in Wonderland" (take 2) – 8:34 "All of You" (take 2) – 8:17 "Jade Visions" (take 2) – 3:44

Music can serve as a rush or atmosphere, this is all atmosphere and it’s amazing. Excellent. The deep background conversation noise really adds something. Excellent, jumping off point

My jazz preferences sit in the seething demented and transcendental ecstatic sectors (late Coltrane goes down well), so this is just too plain nice to live long with me. But it is rather nice.

Classic jazz instrumental Good for background

Just another jazz album, nothing dreadful.

Would have been nice background in a piano bar. Wasn't that great to have on whilst working.

Fine jazz, not what I would choose to listen to though.

meeh

Masterpiece

Really good. Not a jazz guy but the skill is there. It is also more approachable than a lot of jazz but not fading into the background.

Beautiful chemistry between these three. One of Scott La Faro's last recordings. Bill's voicings and phrasings in this performance are masterful.

Absolute classic, incredible from start to finish.

sophisticated focus music, great for work

5/5 - Excellent

Nice.

Phenomenal Jazz Classic, great recording

Not much into jazz, but you listen to this, you understand what makes jazz special. Phenomenal musicianship

A stunner. Loved every second. Absolutely beautiful

SO GOOD.

Smooth, calm, relaxing

This was extremely pleasant background music for the stuff I was doing around the house. I was a little leery because sometimes I find the improv parts of jazz to be annoying, but this combination of instruments and chill sound worked well for me.

What a great album! Very soothing jazz.

i was pretty satisfied with every song on this album and liked them all however i dont think i was thrilled enough by it to call it a 5 star album but i will happily rate it a 4

I want to listen to this in front of a log fire in a comfy chair drinking good whisky with a few friends.

Nr. 143/1001 Gloria's Step Take 2 3/5 Gloria's Step Take 3 3/5 My Man's Gone Now 3/5 Solar 3/5 Alice In Wonderland Take 2 3/5 Alice In Wonderland Take 1 3/5 All Of You Take 2 3/5 All Of You Take 3 3/5 Jade Visions Take 2 3/5 Jade Visions Take 1 3/5 Average: 3,0 It's okay I guess, but not something I would ever listen to actively. Maybe as background music.

A gorgeous stroll with people who make you smile and laugh through a bustling city in winter.

I realised something masterful was afoot when I noticed these dainties weren't only sighing and swaying but giggling and winking at me too.

Its elevator music, but really good elevator music. Bill Evans is obviously the focal point on piano, but the dude playing bass was on some other shit. I enjoyed this music best when I focused on the bass and let the drums and piano just kinda fade a bit into the backround. Like all jazz I definitely recommend good headphones/speakers

the art of the piano trio doesn't get much higher than this, y'all. this one was formed by Bill Evans shortly after his brief, yet legendary stint with Miles Davis' band which produced perhaps the most popular album in the history of jazz. Scott LaFaro is on bass and Paul Motian is on drums and cymbals. I'm certainly not the first person to gripe about the fact that Bill Evans is often an unsung hero of this music! as far as I'm aware, it was Evans who introduced Davis to George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, a theoretical text from which a whole host of jazz musicians developed new means of melodic and harmonic expression, leading to the advent of modal jazz as the fifties became the sixties. despite Evans' indisputable importance to the acoustic jazz universe around this time—he worked in bands organized by Russell as early demonstrations of Russell's theories— there's hardly a word to be said about him in Ken Burns' Jazz, or many other jazz documentaries for that matter. thankfully, his legacy is very much intact among jazz cognoscenti, and he's worked his way into plenty of people's record collections in the same fashion that Johnny Cash or Beethoven find their way into mine. country music and Classical-period classical music (bad sentence) don't usually do much for me, but sometimes an artist cuts through all of your preconceived notions about genre or style and manages to hit you in a deep place all the same. Evans' interest in unique ways of structuring music, evidenced by his interest in the Lydian Chromatic Concept, is the keystone of his body of work. with the LaFaro-Motian trio, the emphasis is less on the chord-scale relationship (as it was on Kind of Blue) and more on using bebop as a vehicle for counterpoint. LaFaro is, by all accounts, the star of the show in this trio. you're unlikely to hear the double bass played this adventurously in a jazz context outside of the small number of recording dates this trio made. in most straight-ahead jazz settings, the bass grounds both the harmonic progression and rhythmic pulse; LaFaro often excels in both departments, but the most interesting moments here are when, during Evans' piano solos, he uses his instrument less as the band's anchor and more as an independent melodic voice, one which is truly in conversation with Evans and Motian rather than simply acting as their guide. it's incredibly rare to hear him "walk the dog", which I usually love to hear whenever I'm listening to jazz, and especially when I'm playing it, but I honestly think it would kill the vibe of this band if LaFaro laid down too many consecutive quarter notes! all three members of this trio operated with such extreme finesse and precision as a unit, and it's evident on every second of these performances. Evans has a delicate touch on the keyboard that's become sort of a trademark for him over the years, and his improvisational faculties are heightened here by LaFaro's presence. you can really hear them motivating each other! Motian's introspective, sensitive drumming is the glue holding everything together; he mostly plays with brushes here, and he manages to drive the bus and keep the energy of the band up while not overpowering the group dynamic. unfortunately, the Village Vanguard date that produced this album was the last time Evans and LaFaro would ever perform together. LaFaro died (at the tragically young age of 25) in a car accident just ten days later, sending Evans down a dark path which would define the rest of his performance career and parts of his personal life. what was to be a single "Live at the Vanguard" album became two, with the first-—Sunday at the Village Vanguard—being rushed to market just about three months after LaFaro's death by Riverside. although the circumstances surrounding this release, which specifically highlights tracks featuring LaFaro's soloing and appends his name to the front cover, are certainly somewhat dodgy in retrospect, it's still nice to have this as a historical document. Waltz for Debby, the second of the two, might have a slightly more well-rounded choice of tracks, but it's hard to turn down the set of performances on offer here either! although, if I really want that experience of feeling like I'm at the Vanguard in 1961, I'll usually just throw on one of the sets from the full compilation of recordings that these two albums were selected from, which came out in 2003 and is now widely available on streaming platforms. you can't go wrong with anything this trio put to tape. decent 9/10.

Excellent

Loved it

Fantastic record. I had never listened to this one all the way through, but I'm so happy this was on this list. Just a really great jazz trio. I know Bill Evans is supposed to be the focal point here but Scott LaFaro on bass is just tearing it up throughout the entire album. Fantastic playing, and super sad that he died just a few days after this was recorded. Kind of Blue is probably the best jazz record of all time but this has to be right up there in the top 5. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for this at the record shop. 5/5

Very cool

Probably the single most important jazz piano recording from the pre-eminent creator of modern jazz piano. Incalculably vital.

Wonderful

Loved this album. Saved it in my favorites to listen again.

Fantastic. It’s easy to write an album like this off as “boring” but man, there’s some really fantastic musicianship here.

Loved it

Sunday At The Village Vanguard is a live album from the Bill Evans Trio, which at the time included bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. This was the last time Evans played with LaFaro, who died tragically shortly after the album was recorded. Evans played in a few groupings in his career, and considered this to be the strongest group - and this album may be this trio's best work. This is often regarded as one of the best live jazz recordings of all time. Evans was an elegant, expressive pianist, and these songs show his skills with subtle expressions. LaFaro and Motain are also incredible musicians, and the trio had clearly established chemistry.

holy shit a new jazz favorite!!! i rewound the last minute of "solar" multiple times just to hear the drum fills. impossibly cozy. "all of you" has a Disgusting upright bass solo. now THAT'S a fucking jazz album dude

Really solid smooth jazz. And a live album at that. You can almost smell the cigar smoke and whiskey from the seedy jazz bar this album could have been taped at. And it is a brassless jazz album, which I love. Sometimes trumpets and saxes get fucking annoying (like in every fucking Miles Davis album). Sometimes ya just want to sit back and enjoy the beautiful sounds attainable by a bass, piano, and drums. So relaxing. Dudes bassist is a fuckin machine!! Favourite songs: All Of You, Gloria's Step Least favourite songs: My Man's Gone Now 5/5

Like most Miles Davis albums, this album gave me a very Autumn in New York Vibe!

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Nothing else to say. I love this. I want more of this. More jazz. There isn’t enough jazz on the list. Give me more jazz. This was great. Technically, musically, feel-wise, just excellent. Yes. Five stars. Standout Tracks: all of them

nice background / focus music

9/10. Great music. Makes you feel like you’re there listening.

Great background music

Sublime performances, a total joy to listen to

Superb in every way.

I bought my first couch ever today, very soft. Had a shower and wore the robe du chambre for the first time ever. Put this album which I never heard before and laid on the couch while reading the last pages of the book Jules Verne by Leonid Borisov. Sometimes, life is great.

The bass is a real standout on this album. I immediately looked up what else he recorded on and saw he died 11 days after this album was recorded. Personal enjoyment: 5/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5

Damn good

Classic Insane soundstage, and amazing sound quality

👌👍

Oh hell not my style!

Very chill, loved it throughout.

bill evans is the coolest

Man I love jazz so much

How refreshing! A break from the Britpop and angry heavy metal and repetitive electronica. This is a fine example of a jazz trio in perfect harmony supporting each other perfectly. The ambiance is a nice touch; hearing the ba ground noise of the Village Vanguard takes me back to my visit there and other similar clubs to hear live music.

will listen to anything from Bill Evans. piano, bass, drums - pure classic. Favorite track: all of you other picks: my man's gone now, solar, jade visions

Nice to have some actual music again.

This was such an unbelievable recording. At times, the trio sounded sparse and at others like a lot more than three were playing. Knowing a bit about the bass, I was shocked that I had never heard Scott LaFaro's playing before. On many tracks he soloed with only the drums accompanying him. This is very rare. LaFaro's bass playing is so melodic and innovative for the time. It's so sad we couldn't hear much more of him. Liked Songs Added: - Gloria's Step - Take 2 - Solar - Jade Visions - Take 1

Very nice

Love me some jazz! I imagine sitting in a corner booth of a darken jazz club in NYC with a glass of wine, closed eyes, allowing the tunes wash over me. 🎶🎶🎶

Day236- sit back with a drink and enjoy this little nugget. jazz doesn’t go out of style and bill evans trio is going into my jazz favorites

One of the greatest jazz albums of all time. Beautiful modal chords and piano work by the incredible Evans. The soft chattering of the punters between songs only adds to its charm

Just the opposite of my last album. Thisnwas awesome. I couldn't turn it off. I love smoth jazz

An incredible showcase of Scott LeFaro above all else. An essential live recording.

Studio production for a live album from 1960 is exceptional. Even if jazz isn’t your thing, you really can’t deny it’s a great record.

Marvelous. Just fantastic jazz. Loved it. No notes.

Just some really good, heady, crunchy jazz. It gets a little monotonous, but I'm sure live it's an incredible experience. Favorite song(s): Alice in Wonderland, Jade's Visions

Cool jazz piano. Very slick musicianship. The version I heard had a bunch of live takes that were studio quality. This guy is the real deal. I didn’t get much jazz as a kid but I gave this record a second spin.

Besser geht es nicht!

Legendary live session

One of my all time favorite albums. Evans is a maestro of chord painting and Scott LaFaro is a revelation. It's a damn shame that he died so young or his work would have ended up on this list one day. Check out the complete live recordings if you enjoyed this. So excited to have an excuse to listen again.

Swanky

Premium jazz by one mate masters of improvisation. Pure class

Such an understated and beautiful pianist who really shows why less is more

Exceptional. I listened to this on my morning train ride. Headphones on, eyes shut, the sunlight piercing my eyelids causing colours and shapes in my vision. Perfect!

Desert island pick. Unless you're a jazz head, you have probably never heard this record before. I defy you to give it a fair listen and not be moved. Sublime. Bill Evans had this incredibly intimate intensity as a player and the interplay among these three musicians is nearly pornographic, they are so far inside of each other. The audience sounds like the Vanguard is only half full, which in one respect doesn't match the quality of this music but then again with this particular music it does seem more appropriate than if we were hearing it echoing off Carnegie Hall's walls. I think this was this band's final performance, too, as the (25 year old virtuoso) bass player Scott LaFaro tragically died in a car crash a week or two later. What might have been! Finally, word to the wise: any jazz record titled "Live at the Village Vanguard" (and there are many) is pretty much guaranteed to be excellent and should be consumed without delay. Actually, same goes for "Live at the Lighthouse," too.

Great piano-led jazz trio playing beautifully. Wish I could have been there, though I don't think I have the ears or understanding to fully appreciate it.

One of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. Had an opportunity to see Bill Frissell perform his work at The Village Vangatd a few years ago. Absolutely sublime.

Masterpiece

RIP Scott LaFaro, this is a top bill evan s live recording. This Lp gets all the stars. I had to bust out the good headphones for this one.

Bill Evans and his band especially Scott Lafaro his bassist are on fire.

loved it. great music. listened to it while studying. prolly gonna be in my playlist for autumn!

Just really great jazz that’s accessible without being derivative. Also a rare album that is better for having a live audience.

There are two things that I have to keep reminding myself of as I listen to this album. First, this is a trio. Such an expansive, nuanced sound, coming from just three guys, no brass. Scott LaFaro's work on bass is especially noteworthy, but all three are playing at top level. Second, I have to remind myself that these songs were recorded live, which is a little bonkers to comprehend. It's flawless across the board, and without the audience interaction, I would have no idea this was a live album. I enjoyed this immensely. Fave Songs: Alice in Wonderland, All of You, Gloria's Step (take 2), Solar

Now this is a jazz album! This seminal jazz album by the legendary pianist Bill Evans has been praised for the symbiotic interplay between musicians. No wonder why it is often regarded as one of the finest live recordings in the genre.

I saw something that said this might be the best live jazz recording. This could actually be the best live recording. Or best jazz recording. Or just possibly best recording.