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. 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.

In numerous interviews Evans has paid tribute to what he always considered to be his finest trio:

Writing for AllMusic, music critic 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." In 2000, it was voted number 946 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2005, the album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Reissue

In 2005, Riverside issued The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 a fully remastered three-CD box set containing virtually all the material from the entire day's recording at the Village Vanguard (one number has been lost) on that date of 25 June.

While all of this music was already available on the 12-CD box-set released in 1984 Bill Evans - The Complete Riverside Recording, this re-issue has had the audience ambiance enhanced and includes introductions, on-stage discussions between the musicians, interaction with the audience, and a few bars of music that Evans improvised to fill out the tape at the end of the night.

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Gloria's Step" (take 2) (Scott LaFaro) – 6:09
  2. "My Man's Gone Now" (George Gershwin) – 6:21
  3. "Solar" (Miles Davis) – 8:52

Side two

  1. "Alice in Wonderland" (take 2) (Sammy Fain) – 8:34
  2. "All of You" (take 2) (Cole Porter) – 8:17
  3. "Jade Visions" (take 2) (Scott LaFaro) – 3:44

Bonus tracks on CD

  1. <li value="7">"Gloria's Step" (take 3) – 6:54
  2. "Alice in Wonderland" (take 1) – 6:59
  3. "All of You" (take 3) – 8:03
  4. "Jade Visions" (take 1) – 4:16

Personnel

  • Bill Evans – piano
  • Scott LaFaro – bass
  • Paul Motian – drums

Credits

  • Orrin Keepnews – Producer
  • Dave Jones – Recording engineer
  • Ken Deardoff – Album design
  • Donald Silverstein – Album cover photograph
  • Steve Schapiro – Back liner photograph ("The trio, between sets, in the back room at the Vanguard")
  • Ira Gitler and Orrin Keepnews – Liner notes

References

  • Bill Evans entry at the Jazz Discography Project