Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Jazzy jazzy. I love jazz. However, though I love jazz, a lot of jazz albums tend to overstay their welcome a little bit, and this one is no exception. I wouldn't necessarily go as far as to say that every song sounds the same, but did we really need *two takes* of almost every song on here? That's just a little much, isn't it? Could have been a 5 otherwise. UPDATE: Wikipedia says those are bonus tracks, but Spotify has them mixed in with the original tracks for some reason. As such, I'm bumping it up to a 5. Congratulations Bill Evans Trio.

At first I was going to give this three stars. In my rating system that means " I wouldn't put it on but I wouldn't mind if it was on in the background". Like most cocktail lounge jazz, the drums in piano are just doing their little pleasant wandering around . But then that bass! The bass will make me put this back on again

jazz isn't dead.. it just smells funny... mag ik daar het volgende aan toevoegen: it sounds funny too

A fantastic live album from one of the greatest modern jazz pianists. Recorded on the same night as two other magnificent albums, it has to go down as one of his best works.

Not for me

Good background music, but I'm likely not sufficiently evolved to get full enjoyment from this :)

It’s nice, I could probably listen to it on repeat if I wanted to chill out but it doesn’t grab me - it’s all a bit one paced.

Bill Evans has so many to choose from and he picks a live album? I don't like the inclusion of live albums in this list.

I’m not a jazz guy. But, I got this recommendation on a 45 degree morning with rain clouds in the distance. And it was a nice fit. Slow start with some peppier moments towards the end. Like me getting the steps in before the rain comes. Else, this might not be your bag. If you’re not a jazz guy

When is it too much jazz? When you can’t hum any part of the melody after a listen. Can I hum the melody after this? No, I can’t.

Tapping and nodding along as if as I was sitting right there in the club. Moments of gentle beauty merged with energetic, even frantic soloing. Great album. The bass player died 11 days later... Quite the testament.

Beautiful

Good, will need to remember for a good jazz album

Liking me some jazz! Never heard this one before. I really enjoyed it.

The opening track starts with a drum brush!! After the syn- drum the drum brush is the next abomination. I don't understand jazz at all. Give 3 men an instrument each shuffle a pile of sheet music and give them a random sheet each to play. That's how it sounds to me. I turned it off. For a live gig it was really dull.

Prime example of playing the right notes, not necessarily in the right order. It's fine, I suppose. I'm not a jazz person, so not sure what I'm meant to do with it, or what makes it different/better than any other jazz. The bass player though - in another life he could have been in something cool. As an aside, everyone, including the three people you hear in the audience, is now dead.

Really long but works well as background music. Calming and relaxing.

Found it a little boring and at times, too in your face

Good stuff all around

That Primus guy must be a fan. Crazy bass. A little too much actually. Just throwing jazz at the wall and seeing what sticks. The quieter songs were nice. 5/10

Dinner party

To be perfectly honest, I don't really know what makes a jazz album good. I haven't spent enough time with them on my music journey. I can seriously appreciate the talent of the performers, however. The way they seem to flow through each other in waves, coming together at points, adventuring off into different rhythmic structures in others. It's mesmerising. There's never a point in the record that I am bored. I'm impressed by the subtleness of the bass, never overpowering the focal piano. Endeavouring on runs in the gentlest way. Evans himself never puts so much as a finger out of line, it's phenomenal. Alas. I wish I could say I understand what makes great jazz great. No skips. Lovely music.

nop

Enjoyed this. Not the best ever IMO but was a vibe for me

Geralmente tento gostar dos cds instrumentais, ou pelo menos tento aguentar todas as faixas, mas esse foi um saco. Impossível aguentar 68 minutos disso, pqp

it was all

A live jazz record complete with people chatting, drinks clinking, and a relaxed ambiance fit for a Sunday evening. For only being a three piece, they get a lot of versatility in their music. The bass player is fantastic. I don't think I could pick out each individual song just by listening, but I did enjoy the overall experience. Normally, I take issue with live albums. In this instance, I actually found it pleasant. As a passing jazz fan, I hadn't heard of Bill Evans before, but he's certainly on my radar now.

Nice

I'm still not qualified to review this, so I'm giving it three. I know this would disappoint my father, who would have encouraged me to listen more closely, to appreciate the interplay between the three elements and to marvel at the freedom and joy being expressed here, but sadly, this points directly to the flaw with this exercise - there isn't enough time to do all of that and still have a life. I'm coming back to jazz, no doubt, but I'm not going to pretend I was able to get more from this than I actually did.

Songs are alright, good for studying but felt repetitive

6 - good but not my particular brand of jazz

I didn't dislike it, but it sometime sounded like they knew how to play without knowing what notes sound good together.

I am not a jazz fan but this was enjoyable

nice background noise

I really am enjoying the piano jazz that this generator has introduced me to thus far. This album was great for background music or for focused listening with good headphones.

Horribly annoying piano jazz

Jazz, lange instrumentals

9/10 I really enjoy jazz, but often find that it can be a slightly difficult genre to get into. Many of the top jazz artists have such vast catalogues that often touch on a range of styles, ranging from the more novice friendly to those that are more difficult to parse as someone not deeply versed in the nuances of improvisation and the more free-form edges of the genre. With that in mind, I’m always delighted to be offered up a jazz record to enjoy, because it takes that difficulty of choice out of my hands. I’m probably most familiar with Bill Evan’s work with Miles Davis, most notably on the seminal Kind Of Blue, released two years before this record. For this release and sister album Waltz For Debby, Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian recorded a series of performances at the Village Vanguard and Evans compiled his favourites into the two records. LaFaro was tragically killed in a car accident ten days after the recordings were complete, so this record was used to highlight his standout moments across the performances. Because of the, this is a fairly bass heavy take on the groups work at the time. But it’s a delightful showcase of the deliciously organic and energetic work of the young bassist. Listening to each of the tracks, the conversations between Evans and LaFaro are really wonderful. Evans himself brings a slightly more restrained take on the work, but the way they bounce off one another is lovey. As I mention during my track by track breakdown, there were moments when it felt like, across the journey of the track, the two felt almost like an energetic puppy and a guiding owner taking a stroll though the woods. Evans would guide the way and pin down the more by-the-book, structured elements of the track, while LaFaro would roam and play, while ensuring that he touched base regularly with Evans to make sure they were still heading in the right direction. Of course, Paul Motian plays a part too, and he does have his moments of prominence, but his deftness and subtlety of rhythm kind of acts as the backdrop for the flair and directionality of the other two players. It’s a great mix and, while there are moments when LaFaro takes things to a slightly more ragged edge, the fact that you can hear the passion, enthusiasm and, joy within the playing is an incredibly infectious element of the recording. The alternation between more energetic, front-foot performances and some slightly more laid back efforts gives the record a great flow, and ensures that those more “on the edge” moments are allowed to have breathing space around them. As a personal preference, I think that Waltz For Debby is a slightly more well rounded selection, but this is still pretty special. When listening to live jazz like this, if you can get a real picture in your mind’s eye of the players bouncing off one another, sweating, grinning and interacting through their performances, I think that speaks volumes about the quality of the work. And this record did that for me in spades. Gloria's Step - The rolling shuffle of the drums here is delicious. The bass and piano roam around their own respective paths, but beautifully touch base at certain moments, with brief echoes of each other’s experimentations passed between them. Bill Evan’s’ piano soloing is gorgeous, and the bass picks up some cool little moments to jump forward and remind you of its presence, like an overly keen puppy checking back on its owner during a walk. There’s something delightfully raw and exposed about this, particularly the almost on the edge nature of Scott LaFaro’s bass. He pushes things playfully during his solo section before gathering it all back up into the considered and centred closing section. Really nice. My Man's Gone Now - This is more of a lazy stroll of a track. The bass takes a more considered and grounded approach, with Evans stretching out above it. He clambers up and down some really smooth sequences, with moments of zip and flair, but never stretching things too far from the more genteel pace of the piece. When LaFaro gets his moment to solo, it feels like he’s allowing for a bit more space for his work to breathe in this one, and you can even hear the subtle chit-chat of the audience in his pauses. He plays with a very percussive style, but that space opens things up more and allows the chord structure of the piano to guide things nicely. When they reconvene for the closing passage, they take the strength of each other’s playing in hand, and drift slowly away in a smooth, almost sultry way. You can just imagine the trio grinning at one another as they reach the final notes. Solar - Back to something a bit more forward and playful. Again, there is a roaming sense of adventure about the two tonal instruments, with Paul Motian holding down the pace and swagger of the groove incredibly well. There’s so much charm and personality to both bass and piano, and Evans really makes the most of the slight dynamic drops that the other two throw in to punch in some great dynamic phrases. The lead in to the bass solo section grabs hold of repetition in some really cool ways, and it’s interesting to hear LaFaro go for a play without Evans there to hold the musical centre. He does a great job of touching base on notes and motifs within his soloing that keep things musically in line with Motian’s drumming, giving us a brilliantly virtuosic and musical piece of improvisation. It’s nice that we get a bit of drum focus in the final couple of minutes too, with some nice rolling fills and bits of punch that jump out between the tonal instruments. Alice In Wonderland - Another lean backwards, and again we’re delivered some incredibly smooth work. The melodic touches that Evans weaves into his playing are delightful and, while he does have a playful and roaming freedom to his playing, it never feels like it steps too far off the beaten track. During the first half of this, the bass work is a masterpiece in accompaniment, offering tonal support while flourishing here and there with moments of magic. When LaFaro gets to take the lead, he again embodies the more freeform and wild-roaming third of the trio, but there’s something delightfully playful and engaging about his playing. When the three join back up again in unison, those different aspects, the more structured but melodically charming piano work, the loosely controlled but free roaming bass and the shuffling, stable heartbeat from Motian, it’s pure magic. All Of You - The converging rhythms of the players during the opening section of this one act like an establishing shot being slowly brought into focus. It’s punchy , playful and dramatic in all the right ways, and there’s a particular moment when LaFaro drops a beefy slide on the bass that stuck out to me as a moment of such personality and fun that it was really worth highlighting. I find that the best jazz puts you mentally right there in the room, with a clear mental picture of the players interacting with one another via glances and facial expressions as they play, and this is a fine example. The opening sequence here is a brilliantly unification of each members’ styles into a gloriously melodic, punchy and coherent whole. Then LaFaro goes on some energetic strolls, with Evans only backing him up at key moments to drop in a harmonic centre. There are some lovely little moments when he grabs hold of a little motif that he likes and spins it around a few times with slight variations before tossing it away into the wind again. We get another slice of drum soloing here too and Motian continues his role as the understated player with all of the talent he needs, but no desire to overstretch his position as the backbone. And finally they come together to cap it all off with a choreographed bow. Jade Visions - It’s almost like they’re reluctant to end it. They pull out a slow, and considered final track in which the most energetic component is Motian’s drum, for what is really the first time on the record. There are some stunning pieces of melodic work from Evans and, while LaFaro is more restrained, his use of the occasional chord to add harmony to the low end is lovely. It’s interesting how the band has quietened the crowd during this more subtle piece, as if they can sense the heart and emotion behind it. It’s deft and fairly short, but it’s wonderful to hear a track in which the trio deals more into unison and subtlety, and it’s a fabulous way to end the record.

Much more enjoyable than many of the other jazz albums in this list. May get revisited if/when the jazz mood strikes.

Enjoyed it, as with a lot of Jazz in this laid back style I find it sinks to the background a bit when I'm listening, not necessarily a bad thing.

No soy de escuchar música tranquila, pero me relajé. Excelente álbum

This album was fine enough I never get super into jazz albums This one was decent although I’d say on the lower side of jazz albums I’ve listened to I really like the piano throughout as well Can’t say this is more than a 3 though

Lovely

What a nice change of pace from the generator! I loved the “Sunday morning coffee in the sun” vibes (although maybe biased as we do love a bit of jazz in our kitchen on a Sunday!) This album feels effortlessly romantic - there’s just something about jazz that makes normal life feel a little bit more magical, and this is jazz at its technical best. Like a lot of classical jazz, all the songs sort of merge together for me a bit and not sure I could pick out a song. But I almost quite like that. It’s not an album I’d put on all the time, but has its place and it sits perfectly in it. Highlights: Exquisite musicianship, even more so being a live album which I liked a lot. I loved the obvious demonstration of improvisation with all the different takes, and really makes you appreciate how talented this trio are. Lowlights: A bit more same-y than modern jazz, and there was a fade out! But a live one, so almost quite cool…! Top tracks: Honestly it all blurs into one song with different movements so I can’t pick one! Rating: 3.5

I like it

It’s nice music but not uplifting or( to my ear) very interesting. All seems the same. 1.1/5

Not my cup.of tea

I appreciate the idea of Jazz, especially when live, but it actually makes me feel anxious and on edge.

My first jazz album for a while and a pleasant change from what I've been listening to recently. I can definitely appreciate the musicianship and the lovely, relaxed atmosphere throughout. I'd be very happy listening to this in a nice cocktail bar whilst sipping a martini, but I'm not sure it really has a place in my home. An enjoyable listen in the right setting, but probably not something I'd choose to put on regularly. Rating: 3.0

beautiful jazz

I can understand why this is highly regarded, and I really do enjoy some of the instrumentation, but it's just too slow for me. Good study music though

4/5. Quite a good live recording, gets a lot of mileage only using three instruments (piano, bass, drums.) Evan’s piano playing is fantastic all throughout, though credit also needs to be given to Scott LaFaro who plays bass on this album as his bass-lines and bass solos are amazing. highlight for me is probably “Alice in Wonderland”.

It is just good okd fashioned music man

Count me out of the village if this trio is playing

Meandering, pleasant, samey

nice

Nice jazz album

Me, i am a little tone-deaf when it comes to Jazz. it's usually not in my wheelhouse. for example, i just think 1) i am in a "Peanuts" cartoon and 2) it drags on, and on, and on...

This was about as boring as jazz gets, however the bassist was extremely fun to listen to. Extra star just for the bass.

Seedy nightclub jazz. If you're in the mood this is for you. If not, i could see as painful to some people. Being i am not into seedy piano jazz and i am not in pain i will give an average 3 rating

A lot of these Jazz albums are nice to listen to once, but they all sound the same

Wonderful jazz album

an album that sounds exactly like it's title suggests. lovely jazz album to listen to on a rainy morning

10/9 Good album to have on in the background

One of the best. Takes me to another world

Love hearing the audience in the recording

jazz jazz jazzy jazz jazz sexy nightclub jazz h*rny studying jazz piano france underground club jazz hey mr bartender can i get a black manhattan? jazz it's all jazzzzz

Love it, have it on repeat

When I own a bar, I want a house band like that.

This is actually really chill

Rock and Roll couldn’t come soon enough.

I still don't like Jazz Bill

Twas ok, was expecting something little more out and out cocktail/elevator jazz but had a bit more to it although not really enough to grab me.

It’s a live album. Live albums don’t count. I’m also not “jazz” enough for over a hour of this.

I like jazz. Would go hard in an elevator. Bass/cellist? player seems like they're having fun noodling around. 6/10.

I'm not good at describing jazz, and I dislike half of what I hear. But I like this. Mellow music, skilled musicians, minimal jazz school noodling.

Great jazz

Great low-key jazz with heavy piano

Sunday At The Village Vanguard - Bill Evans Trio (1961) I'm not really a fond of Jazz, this kind of Jazz in particular, but I appreciate the skills on display here and I had a good time having my diner while listening to this. Fave tracks: hard to tell since they all are kinda similar and made with different "movements", some of which I like more than others. If I have to select some tracks: Solar, All of you. ⭐⭐⭐ 7/10

I do not like jazz..

ピアノとベースがメインやんこれ。ベースが他の曲と使われ方が違いすぎておもろい。僕の記憶の中のWaltz for Debbyのイメージとは違ったから、同じ日に収録していても変わるんだなと。まあいい感じですよ、他のジャズにはないような楽器の使い方でおもろい

While I appreciate the skill expressed in the music, it's long and too similar. Maybe because it is a live album it feels that way.

Drums are usually not the main thing in music for me, but I actually really like them here. They're really understated and soft but they keep the energy going really well and had me tapping my foot through pretty much the entire album. With this being a trio, I think the music ends up sounding a bit empty when the piano stops; I don't think the bass melody alone really holds my interest that well. Another instrument like a saxophone or some brass might have done this better because I find them more interesting to listen to, but this is pretty standard bass noodling - well done, but the playing is plain - I like my bass with slap! General dislike for Live albums as usual; this one has one track in particular where it's like the audience just got bored and started chatting over the top of the music. I enjoyed it, but not as much as similar albums that have already come up on this list for me. Lots of talent on display at least. High 3.

one day I'll understand why jazz is good. today is not that day, today is tuesday and I now need 4 coffees instead of my usual 3 to get through the day It's so wild people have either paid to see this live or at least gone out of their way to see it live and are just chatting... just feels disrespectful

great stuff by a jazz legend 1000/5

It was ok. Decent jazz background music.

Really enjoyed this

Yeah this was pretty

Exactly the kind of jazz I really hate.

Solid jazz record

Chill jazz

3/5

Rating: 4.8/5 Short Review: Beautiful. It feels less like listening to a jazz record and more like sitting quietly in the Village Vanguard while three musicians communicate without needing words. Bill Evans is gorgeous, but Scott LaFaro’s bass almost steals the album for me. Intimate, melancholy, and incredibly alive. Favorite Track: Alice in Wonderland

I don't like the jazzy part

This was enjoyable. I'm finding that I'm pretty easy when it comes to jazz though, it's just nice to have on. 8/10.

Really liked this jazz. Nice music to have on while working.

A good set list.

Interviewer: Can you explain jazz? Yogi Berra: I can’t, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they never played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the wrong part, it’s right. If you play the right part, it might be right if you play it wrong enough. But if you play it too right, it’s wrong.

Imagining myself in a cool hat, sipping whisky, cigarette in hand, watching this being performed in an underground jazz bar, late at night in 1961 absent the modern world’s distractions, yes.. I can glimpse its purpose and soul. But on the delayed 8.19 to Paddington, it loses something.

This neither offended nor pleased. It played and then was over, almost never engaging. Occasionally it lapsed into something that could be called a tune but they quickly realised their mistake and got back to the virtuoso tuneless noodlings.