Sunday At The Village Vanguard

It's jazz alright. Kinda zoned out to it while playing Balatro. I guess that's what it's for?

Best jazz album I've listened to in a hot minute

Bill Evans?! Just as this album started, a flash snowstorm created the perfect accompanying atmosphere to what is a very relaxing and enjoyable record. This is like a warm mug on a frigid day. I usually criticize audiences for being overly boisterous on live records, but this audience needs to have more confidence in themselves. This record seems to have emanated from the gathering of the severely socially anxious, or the recently anesthetized. The clapping had a slowness to it that makes me think it was more likely to be the latter. I wanted a little bit more from this, but something tells me I will find that with repeated listens. 3.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Ivories tickled successfully

solid 4.0. Extremamente agradável e relaxante.

At first I was bored and then I really got into it. Still not wowing me but I definitely enjoyed it and would come back to in the future if that’s what I’m in the mood for.

What the jazz trio should sound like

Yeah, nice bit of business

Great, captivating jazz. Only thing docking from a perfect 5 is that I didnt always love the bass player

Improvisational jazz + live albums= poop

This is an incredible recording. A masterpiece from one of my favorite jazz artist.

Evans deserves better than this half-baked release. One of the greatest jazz pianists ever, who brought complex melodic compositions to widespread audiences in the same vein that Brubeck and Guaraldi did. I get that this recording must have been seminal at the time, but it feels more like an ode to Scott LaFaro and his million uninteresting bass solos, as he died not too long afterward. As an extra slap to the face, this was removed from later book editions and replaced with nothing from Evans. Dimery continues to do jazz a disservice in the most passive-aggressive way possible, it seems.

My first real exposure to jazz was in high school: I was in band from seventh grade on so maybe that should count but I personally always think of driver’s ed. My instructor always played jazz, specifically smooth jazz. All smooth jazz, all the time. Right around the same time, the movie, Mr. Holland’s Opus, came out and I watched it over and over again- it had some focus on jazz. But this album is more improv jazz, with just piano, bass, and drums. This has the feeling of being right in a jazz bar, made even more so by the occasional clinking of glasses and light murmur of voices on the album. It’s great jazz, perhaps some of the best I’ve heard, which is why I’m rating it five stars. That being said, at this season of my life, I can’t see myself going to a jazz concert where all I was doing was listening to jazz (unless, perhaps, it was free but maybe even not then). However, I think I’d be fine doing something where jazz is the backdrop for another activity. Album 22, March 20, 2026

Decent listen.

Very pleasant to listen to. Enough going on to keep my attention. Although, not typically into classical. 6/10

youtube free music in the 1001 albums i need to hear? ¡weird!

relaxing

something id listen to if i wasnt listening to it just to listen to it aka background noise..

Zo ontspannend

Heel leuk, jazzy! Wel iets drukker dan ik uit mezelf zou luisteren

nice

An okay album, no real stand out songs.

So fun. Jazz is really something. Weaving in and out with each piece. What it would have been like to be in that room..

Perfectly fine light instrumental sounds perfect in a dining or social setting where the music is not to be the main focus and should not drown out the conversation. Would I recognize it if I ever heard it again? Not a chance. Do I care? Not really.

8.9

i love jazz but i need smth more conceptual

Favorite track(s): Gloria's Step, My Man's Gone Now

4.5 (42:03, 6 tracks, 3rd album, 1961) LIVE Jazz, Genre defining (Jazz Trio) Really coming to appreciate Jazz (traditional music appreciation track for a middle-aged white guy.) Most of my youth Jazz sounded like 3 super talented musician met in a parking lot and picked a time signature to play in, went inside and performed a set and never saw each other again. They'd split the $150 three ways; and this is how they made a living, well that and bussing tables during the day. Q: "Can you play that song again." A: "Nope." i really enjoy this album, listened to it many times. It walk friendly, work friendly, sleep friendly - mood album. Can definitely see me playing this again and again. Took a whole spin down Bill Evans life span of work (it's massive) as part of this assignment. Sunday at the Village Vanguard is a live album by jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans and his Trio consisting of Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian. Released in 1961, the album is routinely ranked as one of the best live jazz recordings of all time. Sunday at the Village Vanguard was drawn from material recorded on June 25, 1961, at the Village Vanguard in New York City. The trio played five sets—two in the afternoon and three in the evening—each one comprising four or five numbers and lasting about half an hour. This was the last performance by the Bill Evans Trio with bassist Scott LaFaro, who was killed in a car accident eleven days after the recording. Riverside had been looking for only one album from this date, but LaFaro's death changed the economics. The album was subtitled "Featuring Scott LaFaro" and was rushed out for release three months after recording by September 1961. Evans and producer Orrin Keepnews reportedly selected the tracks for Sunday at the Village Vanguard to best feature LaFaro's masterly performance on bass, beginning and ending with two tracks ("Gloria's Step" and "Jade Visions") written by LaFaro himself, and with all the others featuring solos by him. This memorable day's performance resulted in additional material released in a second album in 1962, Waltz for Debby, as well as a further selection of takes appearing posthumously in 1984 as another LP: Bill Evans — More From the Vanguard (Milestone M-9125). In numerous interviews Evans has paid tribute to what he always considered to be his finest trio, “I am thankful that we recorded that day, because it was the last time I saw Scott and the last time we would play together. When you have evolved a concept of playing which depends on the specific personalities of outstanding players, how do you start again when they are gone?” After this recording at the Village Vanguard and the death of LaFaro, it became one of the extreme low periods in the life and career of Evans. He did not play for many months, not even at home. Thom Jurek wrote of the album: "This trio is still widely regarded as his finest, largely because of the symbiotic interplay between its members. This is a great place to begin with Evans." C. Michael Bailey of All About Jazz wrote: "Along with bassist wunderkind Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, Evans perfected his democratic vision of trio cooperation, where all members performed with perfect empathy and telepathy... It is these performances, currently available as Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby that comprise the number one best jazz live recording in this present series." Starting in 1992, both this album and its successor Waltz for Debby have been awarded a crown in all nine editions of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Track listing 1. "Gloria's Step" (take 2) 6:09 2. "My Man's Gone Now" 6:21 3. "Solar" 8:52 4. "Alice in Wonderland" (take 2) 8:34 5. "All of You" (take 2) 8:17 6. "Jade Visions" (take 2) 3:44 Personnel Bill Evans – piano Scott LaFaro – bass Paul Motian – drums Bill Evans Bio: William John Evans (1929–1980) was a legendary American jazz pianist and composer who fundamentally reshaped the role of the jazz trio and modern harmonic language. Classically trained from age six, Evans studied at Southeastern Louisiana University and the Mannes School of Music. His style was heavily influenced by 20th-century classical composers like Debussy and Ravel. He is renowned for his "singing" melodic lines, innovative chord voicings, and the use of impressionist harmony. Evans revolutionized the piano trio by moving away from a piano-dominant structure toward a "democratic" dialogue where the bassist and drummer had equal roles in improvisation. Career Highlights: In 1958, Evans joined Miles Davis’s sextet and played a pivotal role in the recording of Kind of Blue (1959), the best-selling jazz album of all time. He formed his most famous trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, recording landmark albums like Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby (1961). He received 31 Grammy nominations and won seven awards. His compositions, including "Waltz for Debby" and "Very Early," have become jazz standards. Evans's life was marked by the tragic death of Scott LaFaro and the suicides of his brother and long-term partner. He struggled with long-term heroin and cocaine addictions, which contributed to his early death at age 51 from complications related to a bleeding ulcer and liver disease. He remains one of the most influential jazz musicians of the post-bebop era, directly inspiring pianists such as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett.

This kind of thing sets my teeth on edge because it’s so bland. Not for me :/

I don’t really know what to say about this other than that it’s very pleasant jazz. If and album elicits such a lukewarm response what do you even do with it. Fine I guess!

Not my type of jazz

Großartig!

I was today years old when I learned that Bill Evans was Miles Davis’s keyboardist. It shows here. However, I don’t understand jazz as well as I should. It seemed to miss the horns that made Miles’s music so accessible for me. Still I can’t deny the quality of the performances here.. Great bassist whose name I missed (Scott LaFaro - a true virtuoso). This would work better for me as background music. 4 stars

Jazz just isn’t for me, but it was pleasant!

THE classic live jazz album - sounds exactly like I expected. Musicianship is excellent across the board, but the bass player is next level.

Jazz noodling. Nope. Why could they have not taken the best of the takes and just said "ok, these are good, put these on the album"? No. They had to put three takes of some songs on here. I don't care how much of a musical genius you are, that's bad planning. Fuck off with this shit. My rating: 1/5

Rock solid jazz album Some really cool pockets and the bassist is excellent All of them are locked in

I think this is my first ever pure instrumental jazz record. Based on that I have no basis for weather this is actually *good*. I think it was, I enjoyed myself. It was pleasant! Very easy listening.

no lyrics and didn’t really like the vibe

Very nothingy. Barry B Benson would enjoy it

Great background Jazz, talented and vibrant in many places, just not for me

this must be really good if you like boring piano music

One of the best of all time, elegant and beautiful

Ah, man.

The bassist is going crazy on this one. Must have been incredible ripping a heater in a jazz club seeing this live, 3 old fashioned’s deep.

Solid jazz jam.

Gimme more of that.

Another live album....just don't get the appeal. The music was all over the place, little to no discernable melody. I get that is a major characteristic of jazz music, but it doesn't have a lot of appeal for me. Songs go on for too long.

I’ve never liked jazz and I think I’ve finically figured out why. It feels to me that the musicians are all playing their own thing in spite of what anyone else is doing. Yes they are all on the same tempo, but it’s like they are all practicing in the same room together than playing a song. I honestly can’t tell the difference between much of these tracks. They all are showing off at times how fast they can play a riff or rhythm. It seems like a very selfish way of playing “music” as a musician in my opinion.

Perfect for studying to.

THIS is what jazz means to me; absolute banger even though I realized every song was repeated essentially twice in the listen through I had. It was seriously that good

Hard to listen to for me. Maybe im not old enough to apprechiate this, but would need this record in my collection.

Hh

No.

If hotel lobby jazz had a pinnacle, this might be it. The whole album feels like you’ve walked into a polite murmur of clinking glasses and tasteful noodling. At least it didn’t sound like a cat wandering drunkenly across the piano keys… but honestly, I kept thinking I’d hit repeat by accident. Skipped most of the tracks because they all blended into one polite, brush‑heavy blur. I know it’s a stone‑cold classic for jazz fans, but for anyone who hates jazz? Yeah… this is peak “I hate jazz.”

In a world of so many jazz albums, this one failed to leave much of an impression upon me.

Not for me

Very enjoyable album to study to

Nice vibe, played while reading

Am I in a Charlie Brown movie?

The album is routinely ranked as one of the best live jazz recordings of all time and I understand why. Never listened to the whole album. I want a comfy lounge chair and a martini. I prefer a crooner/singer with my jazz. 0 songs added to playlist.

Enjoyable but not earth-shattering.

Perfect work/study background music. The only track that really caught my attention was Alice in Wonderland.

It's great for what it is, and the recording quality is outstanding (I love some good ambient crowd noise), but just not something that really got me.

All one song

relaxing background music

STANDOUTS: Gloria's Step, Solar, Alice in Wonderland Peak studying music right here. Listened to this while working on homework and I've never felt more locked in in my life. The sound level of the crowd noise is perfect, it's not too loud where it overpowers the music, which by the way is absolutely gorgeous (especially the bass), but it also prominent enough to provide a bit of natural ambiance, making it feel much livelier than a studio recording. 8/10

Great. Just 👌

Deliberately unobtrusive tinkling music for wine bars.

Romanticized rainy morning

Seratonin

This was too jazzy and yet not jazzy enough. Definitely wasn’t expecting the fantastic Alice I wonderland!

Great listen! Very cool snapshot of the era.

Perfectly lovely, I now know what to put on at my next dinner party.

The softest of jazz

it's good background music, but I dont think I can pinpoint anything great about it

la verdad no tengo ganas de escuchar jazz, tal vez vuelva cuando este en un cafe pero de resto me aburrió un poco, prefiero el jazz mas caótico o "ruidoso"

I'm just not that into jazz.

Sad jazz played in a happy room.

What an awesome album. Love Bill Evans. 7.5/10

I don’t like jazz, I love Bill Evans though. His playing is always extremely evocative and narrative. Something you can really connect and get lost in. In this recording he is actually not the standout performer. Scott LaFarro’s bass playing is incredible. He’s great when supporting Evans and when going back and forth, but is simply bonkers when he takes the lead. One of the greatest bass performances I’ve ever heard. Must listen five stars.

If I’m gonna listen to 1950s jazz Dave Brubeck is right there and so is Miles Davis.

Wow. Just wow. I still wouldn't say i fully get jazz music but this gives me no choice to love at least this pocket of that world. What a great batch of songs. What a live recording. What musicianship. Its all top notch. Everything. Absolutely everything. Im partial to bass and this guy kills it all over this. And it helps that alot of the times he feels like the voice of the peice, the melody. And the others too. Quick shout out to the drummer. The guy is maybe the most subtle but his backing holds the other 2 in check. Its amazing that I dont notice him often. He just rolls through it all. And the man who this is attributed to on piano had a ton of great sections. Just brings such a melodic quality with some of the chord choices. He is the name on the tin but he doesnt always outshine everyone else. They all just work perfectly in tandem. Its masterful. And the live recording itself is great too. The little murmur of the crowd between songs and clinking of glasses. It adds so much texture. But when the songs are going its like a studio recording. What an amazing record. I thought it would end up a 4 but after some thinking on it. Its rhe best jazz music ive ever heard. Bar none.

Meh

2/10

It's jazz. There is clapping involved. It's fine.

I don't like instrumental music. The music isnt too bad just looking for a lyrical vocal work right now. Maybe ill save it for background.

favorites: solar; alice in wonderland;

Not my cup of tea

Chill but meandering. Definitely tight and in sync but didn't really go anywhere, especially with multiple takes of the same song. The most bass solo I have ever heard, which was cool but a lot. Enjoyable as total background music, but hard to focus on. Highlights: Bass going crazy

Alright don’t get me wrong I love to noodle, but this might be too much noodling for me. It’s far from bad but I’m not getting a direction from the pieces. I’m sure it’s killer to see live if you’re in the room but the recording doesn’t translate the emotion quite right maybe.

nice freestyle jazz or whatever it is i find it quite enjoyable but in some moments it sounds like mumbles

booooooorriiiiiiıiiiiiiiiiiiiinggggggggggggggggggggggg im boutta delete my acc stop w these recs omg

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure this is a great jazz album, but couldn’t get into it. I like my jazz with some sax

It kinda faded into the background at times, but I still enjoyed it.

Various parts of different songs really stand out, but no songs as a whole. Better background music than actively listening.

A great cleanse for my musical palate. Very heavy bassist throughout most songs.

Solid jazz album filthy bass work. RIP

I listen to jazz only occasionally when I'm in a good mode. Saved this for later.

Pleasant jazz album, like the rest i’ve heard so far. I’m not good at reviewing jazz because it all blends together to me, i guess i don’t have the music theory knowledge to appreciate what it’s doing on a technical level. Sounds good though.

5/10 - I don’t get jazz. Maybe I’ll come around with exposure or maybe I don’t appreciate the difficulty because I haven’t played an instrument. Maybe I am like those people who never played soccer and don’t understand that a 1-0 game can be incredibly exciting or don’t get why the entire Juventus stadium stood and applauded when R7 nailed that bicycle kick. Might be a me thing.

I really like this album. It feels classy and simple without ever teetering on boring. The bass playing in this really stood out to me, shout out him. Strong 8/10

A perfect example of a jazz trio - exactly what I'd reach for if the mood called for it. My issue is, my mood so very rarely calls for this. If I'm sitting there watching these guys, then yes, I'm all for it. But too many other times I'll pass this over for something else. That doesn't make it bad in any way, just...not what I'm going to reach for.

Mood music. Smoke filled club large leather chairs sitting back very mellow mood sipping espresso martinis.

Una atmósfera muy íntima y envolvente. Mi favorita del álbum es "Jade visions".

I've had a few goes at getting into jazz, but they've all failed, I just don't enjoy it. So I was happy to find that this is... pleasant. Not something I'd describe as good, or necessary, but nice background music. Even the audience seems to treat it that way - there's a lot of background chatter as people largely treat this as above average aural wallpaper

I enjoy music like this, to a point. This felt very homogenous to me though. When you only have 10 tracks on a record and 4 of them are different takes of earlier songs, that felt a little strange to me. In the end, I just wasn't that thrilled with this album.

extremely pleasing but also I can't track the melodies/scales Evans is working with

eu tava editando entao foi bom pra lockin, eu amei o jazz vibe mas nao sei se ouviria o album de novo

There is like no structure or form to these songs, I'm amazed they're even 'covers' at all. This is just mindless noodling, which I really dislike.

no es muy mi estilo

Helaas moet ik even eerlijk zijn: dit getingeltangel ontstijgt het niveau 'hotellobby' eigenlijk nergens. Vrijblijvende achtergrondmuziek voor bij een cocktail. In z'n soort vast heel kundig gedaan, maar het heeft nergens attentiewaarde. Zo zal het in 1961 misschien niet geklonken hebben, maar 65 jaar later wel.

De klassieke restaurant setting, waarbij de piano wat dominant is. Hierdoor zakt het wat naar de achtergrond. Als de bas wat meer naar voren komt, komt het geheel ook wat meer naar voren. Eigenlijk jammer dat het de aandacht niet altijd weet te behouden, want de muziek is zeer luisterwaardig.

Als de Village Vanguard een restaurant of theehuis is, en het Billy Evans trio daar op zondag een beetje aan het klootviolen is op wat instrumenten in een hoekje, dan dekt de titel redelijk de lading. Jazz vind ik verder lastig inhoudelijk te beoordelen, met iets anders dan de schaal van zenuwachtigheid. Op die schaal valt dit mee, en dan is het qua luisterplezier meestal wel ok-ish. Ik denk dat jazz iets is, dat in levende lijve simpelweg beter en leuker is, dan dat je een (live)album op krakkemikkige boxjes aan het luisteren bent. Maar goed, alle jazz hier vergelijk ik dan wel op dezelfde brakke manier, dus de omstandigheden zijn in ieder geval gelijk. Prima om weer een keer mee te pakken, niks mis mee, maar ik ben dit morgen weer vergeten.

Turns out the original release is only six tracks, but I didn't mind listening to the full ten on streaming. Expert playing and a mournful vibe. Dig it.

Pleasant enough. Something went wrong when I added this to a playlist and a bunch of tracks seem to have been doubled, which made it feel like the album was four hours long. May deserve another spin someday.

Divine.

Just musicians in sync, great trio work. Pretty much as good as possible.

This was pretty and chill. I liked that it was centered around a piano and bass. But ultimately it felt like hotel bar music. I enjoyed listening but nothing made a lasting impression other than it was a nice vibe

True to its name, this is Sunday brunch jazz. Light, airy, delightful. I made tea and toast, sat on my couch and looked wistfully out my window, chilled, vibed. Jazz is exquisite enlightenment. Even in the darkest of times, it is a ray of light and a beacon of hope and a truth that can never be falsified. I wish there were more variations of it on this list.

This is good smoky lounge music, but it's more of a vibe/background music than something I feel a connection to. It also all sounded very similar, which got a little boring. Alice in Wonderland had some cool moments.

Good brassless Jazz Album, the elevator music prejudice unfortunately shines very much in this, even tho it's got some really interesting bass lines. Overall not the absolute best Jazz Album i have ever heard.

jazz tranquilo, principalmente piano y batería, muy chill, merece la pena escuchar en modo relax o poner de fondo,

I think jazz is a genre best experienced live. You can listen to jazz records and find enjoyment, but being in person, devoting your full attention to the music, and seeing top tier musicians performing at a high level is an experience I’d encourage everyone to try, even if you think you don’t like jazz. While these are obviously very talented musicians, I can’t say this album really grabbed me. If I was in the audience for this performance I think I would’ve loved it, but listening to it in my apartment, it was pleasant but never really grabbed me. That’s probably a character deficiency though.

If you like piano jazz you’ll probably like this

The history behind this effort is both heartbreaking and beautiful. The Bill Evans Trio is a project you'd expect to age like wine. Every track is a dialogue between the bandmates, things can only get better when you're constantly communicating like that. This idea is perfected with Bill's musical philosophy. There's importance in the personality of each band mate, personalities aren't as easily replicated and hashed out as academic structuring. It's because of this that when I read the bassist, Scott LaFaro, died in a car acident just 11 days after this recording, that I feel Bill's pain. I can understand the depression that hit the genius for months, unnable or unwilling to stroke a piano key. I can also understand the wish to make that final effort a type of homage where the first and final tracks are written by LaFaro, and every song inbetween features some form of exquisite solo by the bassist. It's clear to me that the love he felt for his team is the reason the album is consistently featured as the best live jazz recording. It was put together to honor the last time he played with his finest lineup, and to demonstrate to the world what an exquisite bass player they featured. Paul Motian is amazing on the drums, don't let a sad story take away from the beautiful hard-hitting delicate strokes that this guy has in store for us. I loved it so much I went on to listen to the 2005 rerelease, "The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961" just to get a feel for the entire set. They're not necessarily in order, there's a track missing and another featuring a skip caused by a power-outage. If you're the type of person to appreciate the audience banter on the Sunday at the Village Vanguard, I highly recommend the 2 hour and 32 minute extended project. This 2005 rerelease is the one deemed by the Library of Congress as culturually, historically, or aesthetically significant, and I couldn't agree more. But the original Sunday at the Village Vanguard is the more concise piece of material to help you understand the genre and the talents involved, and is definitely the effort that should be on this albums generator. Evans' fingers are constantly pushing the talents you could expect out of a piano. The percussive elements are subtle, but display dominance of the instrument. And the bass, well the talents on the bass are awesome themselves, but elevated by Evans' curatorial ear. 4.7/5

Har hørt både verre og bedre jazz enn det her, helt ok. Ingen låter som skiller seg ut, alt høres egentlig ganske likt ut.

Skikkelig koselig kaféjazz.

Det flyter greit inn i hverandre det her, men kan ikke si annet enn at det var fint å høre på. Kult med støy fra lokalet som løfter live-følelsen. Sjuk bassist!

Taffeljazz. Kan godt ha det på i bakgrunnen på en middag, men ikke noe jeg trenger å lytte på.

Hørt på jobb. Chille greier. En herlig liten søndags/lese/jobbeplate.

Jazzister på jakt etter en melodi. Irriterende mye kjatring i bakgrunnen på Alice in Wonderland.

I enjoyed this. Pictured myself sitting at a table in a smoky New York nightclub in the 1950s. Very atmospheric and musically important. Ultimately, it works for me as background music but saying that probably makes me a philistine. Warrants careful attention to all the instruments and the whole improvisation vibe.

This definitely sits closer to the avant-garde end of the jazz spectrum, more free and formless than jazz I’d usually say I’m a fan of. Not to say it was bad, far from it. I just reckon it’s something I’d prefer to see live, as it feels like the kind of music that really gains from the space in which it’s performed.

Didn’t care for this jazz album quite as much as the others on the list.

Це безсумнівно хороший джазовий альбом, але подібна музика мені швидко набридає

Maybe I don’t get jazz?

These songs are so cool, they use all the notes in every song. Jokes aside, these are mostly vibe performances. There is a feeling of chaos because right away on the opening track each band member is improvising at the same time in different time signatures. Then the bass player Scott LaFaro gets his own improv solo while Bill chords out the background using 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, minor mixolydian 4ths, you name it. But the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, so if you can get past the dissonance and dig the feel it works - kind of like a magic eye poster.

Gorgeous and vibey. Perfect listening for a quiet rainy day.

A nice album. The live recordings make it very immersive because one can hear the people in the background talking such is really cool

Very odd like solos pointless that are pointless

Easy listening jazz

Another jazz album that came and went without making much of an impression

So cool...I've noted before that I don't know how to describe jazz, but this is interesting, surprising, mellow, and virtuoso, all at once.

The first song gave off Charlie Brown vibes, and I never really recovered from that.

Good piano jazz

좋앗음요 재즈 근데특별한언지모르겠음

Back-to-back jazz albums except this one is live and not a studio one. The thing that stood out to me the most is the bass playing, which is nothing short of phenomenal, my favourite bass playing is on "My Man's Gone Now." The live album seems a bit rigid without any banter or talking, all there is just clapping, which with a live album I want a bit more than that, frankly. Solid album though. Highlight Song/s: "My Man's Gone Now" and "Alice In Wonderland"

Very beautiful and relaxing jazz.

Good background music

A warning: this is a tiny bit disconcerting to listen to through headphones because the live recording has such high fidelity that I kept thinking someone was behind me because of sounds of quiet voices, glasses clinking, and footsteps. I found it much more enjoyable to play through speakers.

I could do without all the extended bass solos, in all honesty some of them sound like a kid just plucking away. I'm convinced the guy was just going to town and the rest of the trio were trying to make sense of what's happening. Albums like this are why I'm not a jazz guy. Clearly talented musicians but it just never gets off the "we are kicking around ideas to see what sticks" stage for me.

An manchen Tagen fällt es mir schwer, die Liste ernst zu nehmen. Da bin ich wirklich komplett raus.

Kann den Vorwurf der Fahrstuhl-Musik schon irgendwie verstehen, aber es klingt schon wirklich richtig gut, ohne dass da jetzt signifikante Melodien o. Ä. hervorstechen. Aber ich höre mir sowas wirklich gerne an, mir gefällt hier jeder Song und ich kann mir auch gut vorstellen, dass mal im Hintergrund laufen zu lassen, wenn Besuch da ist. Und mir gefällt, dass der Bass in vielen Songs so im Vordergrund steht (er ist wohl ein paar Wochen nach der Aufnahme verstorben, sodass sie extra Takes ausgewählt haben, wo er prominent vertreten ist). Ist einfach ein rundes Ding.

Ist an mir vorbeigeflogen im positiven Sinne. Wirkte schon so, als ob da auch ein guter Teil Jam-Session ist. War aber alles im Rahmen.

Es tut mir Leid, ich komme einfach nicht rein in Jazz - insbesondere nicht in diese Ausprägung. Für mich war das gerade so noch an Fahrstuhlmusik vorbei, allerdings nicht in puncto Spannung.

Ich habs bei der Arbeit zweimal gehört ohne es zu merken, weil es so nichtssagend an mir vorbei floss.

Ok, but this didn't set me alight. Some bits were cool enough.

i have no opinion on this

Ya like Jazz?

210/1089 a well composed and played relaxing jazz set. 54/100

Really sets the mood for a nice chilled evening

8/10… jazz / piano / *1961

Solid jazz album, but not blow me away great. Since I listen to my album choices in the morning, it was my soundtrack for grocery shopping, and no complaints. 3.75 / 5

Not my favorite Jazz. Evans's pianist skills are impressive and this being live does bring a more immediate vibe to it, but it ends up sounding pretty same-y to me. Key tracks: Gloria's Step

Not enough jazz on this list, at least so far. Fantastic album

This is the third jazz album I've gotten so far. I gave both of the previous albums 3/5 stars, so I was expecting something similar here, but unfortunately I absolutely hated listening to this album. Musically, it's fine and would make for fitting background music at a bar. Plus, the musicians playing on this album are clearly all very talented, as improvisational music like this requires a great deal of skill. But I did not enjoy listening to it. I think there are some great jazz recordings out there, but this kind of jazz, specifically the piano-bass-drum trio that this album showcases, is really not for me. I don't feel like I heard anything new from this recording that I haven't heard a thousand times before. Every track has an extended bass solo, and very rarely do they contain something worth listening to. A lot of upright bass solos end up sounding more like random glissandos and random discordant notes, and this album is no exception. At the very least, the drum solos usually give you something more interesting to listen to, as they're typically the only time a track will break away from the groove it's stuck to for the last six minutes, but even they tend to go on a while longer than they should. This is the first album on the list I considered not finishing, and I only pushed through because I realised the last four tracks on Spotify were all repeats, so I only had one left to listen to. Listening to any more of this sounds unbearable. Favourite song: Jade Visions, I guess? It reminds me a bit of Kitchenware and Candybars by Stone Temple Pilots

Yea that was Sunday

Pleasant jazz album that I sort of connected with some of the time. I liked the beginning of most songs, then they lost me as they got jazzier in the back half. 2.5 rounded down.

Music for coffee shops and lifts. To be fair I enjoyed this a bit more once I realised that there were multiple takes of the same song. I felt like I was losing my mind a bit and that the songs were just twice as long. I'm sure this is great if you're into it but I'm just not. Playlist track: Jade Visions - Live At The Village Vanguard, 1961 / Take 2

As a lifelong fan of Peanuts comics and animated specials, I heard similarities to Vince Guaraldi, but with stronger bass. This is an easy listen.

The greatest small jazz ensemble record

A million perfectly played notes. A fine example of the genre which encompasses smoky bar piano jazz. Have to say though I was only dimly aware of its completion when Spotify started playing other jazz albums.

The guy on piano is pretty good.

Pure bliss. An album to hear with some good headphones.

Not so much into jazz.. this was ok … good background music.

I don’t generally care for jazz. I particularly dislike this kind of jazz.

Love this, 1* off for the live recordings that include people talking. I'm all for the jazz club vibe but i prefer it without the additional soundtrack

I've listened to a lot of Bill Evans. This was a lovely Monday morning treat.

Very technically skilled. I do find myself zoning out or getting distracted. I probably don't have enough music skill to hear a lot of the complexity going on here. I tend to like hotter jazz better.

Jazz music is best experienced live

This was an interesting change of pace. I felt like I was in a speakeasy, having polite conversation with other socialites. Overall, a pretty good listening experience, but nothing too exciting.

Pretty generic jazz. Sounds like it’s 100% improvised and there are no real motifs or tonal home to latch onto.

Loved

fire

Felt like a live jazz bar. Studying with this on was like a breeze. Gorgeous melodies and some virtuosity. Great record

listened to this a while ago. lovely

I actually really liked this. An instrumental jazz isn’t always my go to, but the time went by really fast and liked the music throughout

Nice jazz album but not anything stellar to bring me back for a serious listen.

Jazzy jazz

Amo este disco, me encanta el ruido de las copas de fondo y la sutileza de Bill Evans al piano. Tirarte en el sofá a oscuras y ponerte este disco es de las mejores terapias antiestrés que conozco.

el jazz de blancos me recuerda a Woody Allen. Nada más que añadir

Sunday at Starbucks Inc.

Cheguei dende o puro descoñecemento e... desfrutei bastante co disco. Comentaron algúns compañeiros de Hs o do contrabaixo de Scott LaFaro e a verdade é que é fascinante a súa interpretación. Son un completo ignorante do mundo do jazz, pero como primeira aproximación ao señor Bill Evans e a súa música foi bastante instrutiva esta escoita. Precisamente o que buscaba cando me dispuxen a participar no dos 1.001 discos: pisar fóra do habitual e atopar cousas supostamente canónicas que me gusten e nunca tivese probado antes. (#11 dos 1.001 discos que escoitar antes de morrer: 3,5/5)

el cool jazz més blanc que ningú pot imaginar, però joder, que bé li senta al gènere un tio que ha absorbit a tots els impressionistes per a traslladar eixe minimalisme melòdic als seixanta de nova york. que sí, que no inventa res i que de vegades pot acabar sent un poc fons, però és impossible separar la gravació del seu context, i al cèsar el que és del cèsar.

Lo que suelen llamar "cool jazz" es para mi el jazz menos cool. El mismo año que salió este disco, 1961, Ornette Coleman publicó Free Jazz con dos bandas tocando a la vez. Es obvio con quién me quedo. Dicho esto, este es un disco agradable en el que destaca sobre todo el contrabajo de Scott LaFaro, que está inmenso. Es un puto drama que el colega murió con 25 años solo diez putos días después de grabar este disco. Sabiendo esto, se escucha de otra manera.

A charming album. Maybe Sunday at the Village Vanguard runs long--not in length per say, but rather in repetitiveness--but it was quite good regardless. This jazz can be considered common, but not simple, and the Bill Evans Trio does this style of jazz extremely well. I think you could even claim that this trio performs so well they make it look easy and uninteresting.

I don't typically go for music like this unless I'm seeking it played live or seeking a specific vibe. It was a slow burn, but ultimately this album ended up winning me over a bit! It was delightfully relaxing. The interplay here between piano and bass is what really makes this album fun.

Not what I expected, I like the jazz but I didn’t love this album.

No lo escuché todo pero lindo y suave

Loved it. Great jazz album!

Ultimately I think this was lost on me

Office friendly de martes que parece lunes 👌🏻 El primero que me gusta todo y dura poquitísimo 🥲

Excellent 6 songs

2/3/26. Enjoyable jazz with no voice. 8/10

Why tho?

Not for me.

Impressively boring zzz

Impeccable, gentle, top tier jazz from a trio of wonderful musicians. Well recorded and effortlessly digestible. Bass playing is out of this world.

This is so good. Absolutely brilliant musicians working in sync with each other. The bass playing on this album is incredible. And the touches with the soft background noise and applause make it feel like you’re actually in the room. Listening to this while I’m warm inside on a cold, rainy, foggy day was a treat.

É um bom álbum para se ouvir com bons fones e foi bom ouvir o baixo acústico e a bateria no ouvido esquerdo e o piando no direito. O piano não é o único protagonista aqui, o baixo tem um papel importantíssimo neste álbum e tem solos enormes sem tornar as músicas chatas. Não deixa de ser um álbum que me faz sentir num sofá na entrada de um hotel 5* e que me fez pensar que este tipo de música (quase ambiente) é muitas vezes ignorado e desrespeitado. É algo que se mete a tocar enquanto pessoas falam por cima e não ouvem. Mas é super importante. É um bom 3/5 e talvez um álbum que vá comprar, seria bom tê-lo a tocar em casa durante uma festa, almoço ou jantar.

Un classico

Great individual talent exhibition, however, no cohesion amongst the artists. This is the jazz music people point to when they say it sounds like random notes.

Well it’s jazz, I was never going to be bothered about it.

excellent listen

Aún no he desarrollado la capacidad de captar la sincronía entre músicos y siento que eso es fundamental para valorar este álbum... a nice time nonetheless

coolest jazz for cool evening. excellent and pretentiously

This is nice, pleasant music. All my life I've wanted to get into jazz and I've just never been able to. There's a good amount of it that I like, but don't love. I never think to put on Kind of Blue. I suppose you could say I respect the music and the people that play it but it's never my first choice of what I want to listen to. So to my untrained ears, this is just...like I said, really nice, pleasant music. This is the music I'd want to hear out at a nice dinner. I'm not listening to this in my truck, but I'd probably be listening to it if I'm making dinner for my family. Aside from the players being proficient at their instruments, I don't know what separates this from other jazz music that's similar in nature. It's also nice to hear jazz that's not driven by horns and saxophones. Glad I listened to it, probably wouldn't return to it is my criteria to give something a 3. But you know what? I probably would return to this. I can see myself putting this on in the kitchen.

I'll die on the hill that jazz is nothing more than people dicking around on instruments.

балдежный джаз, хочется послушать в особой обстановке, за ужином, бокалом вина

Welcome to Jazz Club. However, I never feel smart enough for Jazz. Like going to a museum and even though you enjoyed the visit, you spent a lot of time looking at the other visitors and thinking "Are they understanding this better than me?" Still, this doo-be-dooed, rat-a-tat-tatted and plinkity-plonked with the best of them.

Lovely album, very relaxing.

Like playing Transport Tycoon but not as catchy

Lovely stuff

Kinda Jazz I fuck with Don't know how to assign a fave track tho

Smooth lounge jazz. 3.5/5

Not something I would typically listen to, but this was good. Jazz that flows and is easy to multitask with in the background.

Good. ★★★

This was phenomenal, great chill vibes but the star of the show is Scott LaFaro’s impeccable bass work.

Interesting listen, made me want to listen to jazz and such more

I love a good jazz trio, but this was not it for me. They have all the elements: a good walking bass, discordant piano, drum kit and high hat. The thing is, each member seemed to do their own thing, totally unrelated to one another. The whole thing felt like a jam band just messing around with no plan or intention. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t love it as much I had expected.

Nice to listen to, but it is very jazzy jazz. The quality of the recording is pretty outstanding - you can hear string noise, the rattle of the drum kit and squeak of the kick pedal, quiet murmurs of the crowd in places. To me, the piano is actually fairly understated by that is probably how it is supposed to sound for this genre. I am noticing an almost total absence of bass drum, which is really interesting. The bass owns the timekeeping in a lot of places, but the piano trades back at times and the drums are almost entirely "seasoning" on the music. Bass playing is absolutely superb throughout, it is its own instrument and stands to play just as much melodically as the piano. Neat stuff, I will give them 4/5 for the cool factor and that it is a rather serene record.

I like jazz trios, feels both cool and accessible. I like this album. It's not super memorable and I wouldn't be able to tell it apart from a hundred other jazz trio albums, but I like it.

Always a fan of a solid jazz record.

So much of this just sounds like random notes to me

First Listen; 3.5; Easy and enjoyable listening. Interesting enough that it doesn't blend completely into the background.

Exactly what I needed

Good but not for me

absolutely great and phenominal jazz album, this is what true jazz sounds like

Boring. Bill Evans’ biography is way more interesting than his music.

Inoffensive background music in a hotel bar

It’s a jazz album. Chill background music. Not much for me to compare it too so I’ll give it a neutral score.

I liked it, good background music.

Ótima gravação, som impecável. É um tipo diferente de Jazz, sem instrumentos de sopro, apenas o piano e o baixo guiando as canções. A simplicidade instrumental exibe claramente o talento interminável dos artistas do trio, o baixo especialmente me agrada muito. Ele dança e canta em cada uma das faixas, e faz uma dupla imbatível com o piano de Evans. Uma escuta muito prazerosa e fácil, um ótimo disco, não consigo apontar nenhum defeito a não ser a falta de excitação. 4/5

Nice enough

Listened many times before. Will listen to it many times again. Great reading music, great cooking music, great work music, jazz is the score to a perfect life.

Fine background music

EPIC

A live jazz album would never have been something I would have gravitated towards. I listened to it as background and enjoyed the experience, it was comforting and easy. Not mad about it but would only listen to again as a background dinner music kind of vibe

Only music

3.5

Very good jazz album. It’s hard for me to differentiate between different jazz albums, but I really did enjoy it.

Not my kind of music

Umm

Im discovering morning jazz is the way to go. Enjoyed what I heard but I feel like I don't quite have th ear to appreciate what I'm hearing -- all the songs sound kinda the same. Nonetheless enjoyable step on my jazz journey l (the big JJ)

Overall rating by me: 8/10 Songs added to the playlist: All Notes: This is absolutely it - no more words needed

Enjoyed this. It's easy going but interesting. Feels totally contemporary. Pleasant as background music, but worth paying attention to. Subtle and smart.

this album makes me wonder why there’s not more jazz in this project

I enjoyed listening to this. It went on for a really long time. Ultimately background music to me, unless you were actually there in which case it would probably be way more fun.

so boeing, im a lyrics girl

3.9 I will add this into my limited Jazz rotation. Interesting to read up on the guy, went down a tangent of Jazz theory that was intereseting albiet over my head.

One of the best jazz albums of all time. 3 instruments in perfect unison, dancing around each other. Also one of the best sounding records of all time, it gives such a fantastic mood.

Great

Não curti nem um pouco, album sem emoção nenhuma e com violão repetitivo. 1/10

3,8*

not my favourite jazz record but pretty enjoyable

Ugh jazz.

the young man on the bass was going absolutely crazy. got to respect it. was a nice listen but i don’t think i’m sophisticated enough to have much of an opinion on piano jazz

6/5

great album to listen on the way to work in 5 degrees weather

Smooth and satisfying

Had never heard this album. It was enjoyable. I dig most jazz, so this was easily a 4 for me.

Heres the thing with being subjected to so much jazz through my time on the list, it can fit a certain vibe, as background music when I don’t have my critical head on I get it a bit more but still I’d never choose it. The list has also showed me the same with pretty much all music without lyrics.

Not for me. Sounds the same all the time

4.5 The most intimate sounding live album I've ever heard. Made me want to explore the world of jazz more.

delightful easy listening jazz. this trio of bill evans, scott lafaro, and paul motian is fantastic. the first half of this album doesn't overly stand out to me other than as simply very nice to listen to, but "alice in wonderland" and "all of you" in the second half are sublime. easily the best on the album. the second half is so energetic i wanted to bounce out of my chair. the soft chatter background of the club is so delightful atmosphere too. deeply tragic that lafaro was killed in a car crash two weeks at such a young age after this performance because his talent is otherworldly. another note in the long list of reasons why society should move beyond the automobile.

Preeeeetty great! Some albums are better when you keep all your attention on them, this one is incredible in the background in my opinion. Really makes me wanna sit back, relax and sip a cocktail. The kinda jazz that relies on three musicians each knowing and having ultimate trust in each other and collaborating to just make it all work. I will say it eventually felt like it was wearing out its welcome for me in the end, and some sections felt like they stuck to the straight and narrow a little too long versus more experimental Jazz pieces, but these are quibbles against the entire piece.

Pretty boring. Don’t get jazz. Yet.

You, an intellectual : mmm yes jazz. Me, a guy : why are they playing different songs. Do they not like each other??? Very good background music.

Well made very boring jazz

i didnt know i liked jazz that much. it was SO good. loved it

Fyrir. Mér er þetta allt sama chill lagið

Jazz er alltaf góður, í svona 10 sekúndur.

Very good

It's alright. Probably great for the jazz lovers out there, but this style always comes off as something I'd eat dinner too and nothing else. No real excitement in the bones and no feeling of wanting to come back to it. 2.5/3

It's good, certainly. Background music for me. The performance is really well done. I'm not the biggest jazz fan but it's obvious that these musicians are experts of their craft. I don't like the choice to put 2 of the 3 instruments on the left side of the stereo image, the drums should obviously be right in the middle. I'm not gonna knock it too much for that but it's certainly something that takes away. It's really good for jazz. I won't put it on myself, but I wouldn't mind if this was on in a restaurant. 3.4/5

This made me feel like I was in a cafe it was fun to listen to, I liked to see how different all the songs were and I liked to hear the different rhythms. I would want to listen to more music like this in the future!

I thought I liked jazz but this website is changing my mind. Yikes.

I've listened to quite a lot of Bill Evans, but this recording was nearly ruined for me after the Complete Vanguard recordings were so hotly recommended to me as a new jazz listener. Damn, nobody needs 2.5 hours of this, with three takes of individual songs. I think this is the first time I've actually listened to the original curated album release - so I'm glad for the opportunity. Unfortunately, Bill Evans always seems to have very little of the things I love about jazz. The energy is subdued. The technical control and skill is there, but there's nothing exciting to me, and it makes me feel very little apart from mild appreciation. So many jazz albums of the 1950s and 60s get me fired up on life, but this isn't one of them. It's also a style of jazz where I can't see a live album being the natural format. There are definitely studio records from Bill Evans that I prefer. Overall, I respect this and I will gladly revisit it sometime, but currently I'm lukewarm. 3.5*

Час джазовых импровизаций

Представляю как я вкусно готовлю это или покупаю книжки 3 и последний треки <333

Жоские homescapes вайбикс

first listen bumped up a half star, this is just one of the best records man

Sublime. Incredible interplay between the trio. Scott LaFaro's bass is ridiculous, just soaring, light as a feather. Feel amazed that I'd never heard this before - an absolute treat.

jazz

It was really good, for the genre. I struggle with jazz so much but I didn’t hate it

Love jazz. That’s it.

Pleasant jazz in an intimate environment. I've attended such events before. What is special about this album? 3/5

Honestly loved it!! Would’ve never found this trio without this app and prob will listen again!

I'm honestly the worst person to ask about jazz, this might be the first jazz record I've ever listened to all the way through. That being said, this was a very pleasant listen. Quite loungey without ever getting too pedestrian, and a very easy thing to let wash over you. There were rare moments where it felt like the bassist and pianist weren't in complete lockstep about the type of jazz they were wanting to play, but then again, what the fuck do I know about this sort of thing?

Might be just because it’s jazz but every song sounded the same.