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|  | |  | | | Complete Village Vanguard Recordings 1961
(Audio CD)
by Bill Evans | | | | | SKU:
11966 | | In Stock | | Availability:
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Media Type: CD
Artist: EVANS,BILL
Title: COMPLETE VILLAGE
Street Release Date: 09/13/2005
Domestic
Genre: JAZZ | | | |
List Price:
| $29.98 | |
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| | Product Details | | Audio CD Release Date: | September 13, 2005 | | Studio: | Riverside | | Number Of Discs: | 3 | | Format: | Live, Original recording remastered | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 43 reviews |
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| | Track Listing | | Disc: 1 | | 1. | Spoken Introduction | | 2. | Gloria's Step (Take 1, Interupted)(First U.S. Release) | | 3. | Alice In Wonderland | | 4. | My Foolish Heart | | 5. | All Of You (Take 1) | | 6. | Announcement And Intermission | | 7. | My Romance (Take 1) | | 8. | Some Other Time | | 9. | Solar | | | Disc: 2 | | 1. | Gloria's Step (Take 2) | | 2. | My Man's Gone Now | | 3. | All Of You (Take 2) | | 4. | Detour Ahead (Take 1) | | 5. | Discussion Repertoire | | 6. | Waltz For Debby (Take 1) | | 7. | Alice In Wonderland (Take 2) | | 8. | Porgy (I Loves You, Porgy) | | 9. | My Romance (Take 2) | | 10. | Milestones | | | Disc: 3 | | 1. | Detour Ahead (Take 2) | | 2. | Gloria's Step (Take3) | | 3. | Waltz For Debby (Take 2) | | 4. | All Of You (Take 3) | | 5. | Jade Visions (Take 1) | | 6. | Jade Visions (Take 2) | | 7. | ...A Few Final Bars | |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 43 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
148 of 156 found the following review helpful:
Jazz's Perfect Afternoon Redux Sep 25, 2005
By Charles A. Ralston
The following is my May 2004 review of the 2002 Japanese IMPORT edition of this seminal recording, and my views (and review) of it remain.
"Jazz's Perfect Afternoon" a review of _Bill Evans: The Complete Live at the Village Vanguard 1961_ ([Tokyo] Japan: Victor Entertainment, 2002), recorded in performance at the Village Vanguard, New York, NY, 25 June 1961, with Bill Evans, piano; Scott LaFaro, bass, and Paul Motian, drums. (VICJ-60951-3) boxed set of 3 compact discs in separate jewel-box cases and a 13 pp. program booklet in English and Japanese. Running times: CD 1 (60951) -- afternoon sets 1 and 2 -- 49:29 with nine tracks; CD 2 (60952) --evening sets 1 and 2 -- 64:21 with ten tracks; CD 3 (60953) -- evening set 3 -- 39:31 with seven tracks.
The original 1961 recording was produced by Orrin Keepnews and engineered by David Jones of Riverside Records. This 2002 analog-to-digital re-mastering, utilizing the 20-bit K2 Super Coding System, was accomplished by Tamaki Beck of FLAIR (JVC Aoyama Studios, Tokyo) with tape research by Stuart Kremsky, CD assembly by Joe Tarantino, production coordination by Bill Belmont, and design by Yoko Nakamura (program booklet, verso title page). Musical selections are arranged in chronological order of their performance.
Listeners familiar with every audible nook and cranny of the original Bill Evans Riverside LPs Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz For Debby, which recordings comprised most of the music made that magical Sunday in New York in early summer 1961, were amazed later in the 1970s with the re-issue of these recordings along with previously un-released takes. In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, with the advent of the CD, increased sonority and clarity were noticeable. The present compilation continues in this tradition, revealing to the listener the following new information about this seminal recording:
* For the first time we hear an introduction (presumably by producer Orrin Keepnews) of the musicians and the announcement that all is being recorded.
* For the first time, we hear the first take of LaFaro's 'Gloria's Step', the first selection of the first afternoon set, previously un-issued because of the electrical power failure glitch which precluded it from erstwhile releases.
* At the end of the first set we are privileged to listen to Evans' announcement of an intermission followed by discussion of the power failure.
* At the beginning of the second evening set, we hear the musicians discuss the music they are about to perform.
* In addition to the subtlety of Motian's brushwork and LaFaro's strings clacking at times on his instrument's fingerboard, advances in recording technology also amplify the ambient background chatter of the Village Vanguard's loquacious customers and the clinking of glassware reminding us this was but another work day for the Bill Evans Trio.
* Both takes of LaFaro's 'Jade Visions' were performed back to back at the end of the third and final evening set, and of this magnificent recording session.
* At the end of the last set we are permitted to eavesdrop on the wrap-up of this all-day recording session, the first (and what turned out to be the only) "live" recording session of the first Bill Evans trio, with a voice (Orrin Keepnews?) saying to Evans, "Hey, ah, Bill, he's [the recording engineer] got a little tape left. Play something else . . . about 30 seconds . . .", and with Evans responding by playing what to my ear sounds like a ten-second Chaplinesque musical allusion amidst laughter which fades to silence.
Orrin Keepnews, in his The View From Within: Jazz Writings, 1948-1987 (New York, Oxford, 1987), a memoir of his years at Riverside Records working with Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, McCoy Tyner, and others in the recording studio and on "live" sessions, gives us his recollections of this particular recording session at the Village Vanguard:
"Although we [at Riverside Records] were only looking for one album, we felt there would be a better chance of capturing the spontaneous qualities of on-the-job recording in general -- and of this trio in particular -- by being able to make the eventual choice from a larger group of tunes rather than frequently repeating an exact pre-selected repertoire. Thirteen numbers were played in all, five only once, just two as many as three times. Evans was unusually please with the results and -- perhaps also influenced by the realization that this now documented the end of an important stage in his career -- readily agreed to the release of two separate six-tune albums (Sunday at the Village Vanguard, followed by Waltz for Debby). The necessary choices were quite arbitrary; it is clear that nothing played this day was without considerable merit. 'Porgy,' originally omitted for reasons of overall time, was squeezed into an early-70s reissue package, and seven 'rediscovered' alternates filled a mid-1984 album."
Admirers of the Bill Evans Trio will relish listening to this chronological, warts and all, presentation of what Adam Gopnik, in The New Yorker (13 August 2001), called "jazz's perfect afternoon.
69 of 70 found the following review helpful:
Buy This One! It supersedes all the other releases. Feb 15, 2006
By Gregory Massey
Chuck Ralston has already provided an extensive and very helpful review of this release. His website dedicated to Scott LaFaro is worth the attention of all jazz fans.
This day of recordings at the Village Vanguard produced two magical albums, _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_ and _Waltz for Debby_. Later reissues on compact disc included alternative takes. This release, previously only available overseas, supersedes all the others. As Ralston notes, it is the first to include the opening number of the day, LaFaro's composition "Gloria's Step," which was briefly interrupted by a power failure. It also contains the first take of "All of You," previously available on Bill Evans' _Complete Riverside Recordings_, a compilation that's probably beyond most fans' budgets. As an example of the trio's high level of performance that day, it's hard to pick from the three takes of "All of You." This first take, for example, contains drummer Paul Motian's best solo spotlight of the day.
The _Complete Village Vanguard_ allows the listener to follow this great trio over the course of the entire day. It's a priceless experience. One of the sublime moments is the performance of "Porgy," a perfect example of musicians really listening to each other. Once that performance, infamously interrupted by audience chatter and laughter, concludes, LaFaro asks Evans, "What's up?" Evans answers, "My Romance," and then they proceed to discuss how the number will be played. Today listeners hear a performance like "Porgy" and are filled with amazement. On that day the musicians simply moved on to play the next piece.
A final example of why this recording is the one to buy is the trio's final performance of the day, LaFaro's forward-looking composition, "Jade Visions." The listener learns things that previous releases omitted. First, after the third performance of "All of You," someone, perhaps producer Orrin Keepnews or the recording engineer, shouts "do it again!" Evans instead asks LaFaro if he wants to "try that 9/8 tune," meaning "Jade Visions." Considering that "Jade Visions," a piece the trio had not yet played that day, was the last composition they performed together, it's a wonderful example of serendipity. Second, a listener learns that on _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_, the producer inserted audience applause at the conclusion of "Jade Visions." As is true of most jazz club dates, the audience had dwindled by the time the musicians played their last set. The second take of "Jade Visions" ends, not with substantial audience applause, but with LaFaro's bass, followed by a moment of silence before Evans is informed that there's about half a minute of tape left, whereupon he proceeds to play an amusing "few final bars." For music fans, this recording is of the highest historical importance. On that day, however, the Bill Evans Trio was just playing another club date before a small, sometimes engaged, but too often distracted audience.
29 of 33 found the following review helpful:
The mind reels.... Dec 14, 2005
By Travis Dubya McGee Bickle
"elitist duffer"
This much genius in one collection, for this price? Have they lost their minds? Bill Evans pretty much wrote the book on luminous,lyrical jazz piano-playing... and this is an elegant document of his incomparable trio's '61 stand at the Vanguard. Very comprehensive - it even includes lengthy segments of stage patter. A lot of the stuff here has been previously released, but it has never sounded this crystalline and pure...all around great job and a real steal!
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
What's All the Fuss About? Mar 01, 2007
By Fly By Light
I came at this album kind of backwards - I first listened to CDs of Evans playing with Tony Bennett, then solo, then live at Montreux with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette (trying to hear him at his most upbeat). I knew that this was one of the most revered albums in jazz, but I couldn't help but wonder what the fuss was all about. How much better could it be?
Much better. First, the recording quality on this album blows away the Montreux album. Yes, there's glasses clinking and occasional chit-chat, but it tells part of the story, as does the enemic applause. The bass tone is clear and full. The cymbals are not oppressive. It is amazing what such a meager recording setup can achieve in the right hands. If you have fear based on other bad jazz recordings, have no fear here.
Then there's the players. Bill Evans is Bill Evans - he has his good days and bad days, and most players people long in vain to live up to his bad days. And this was a good day, indeed. Then there's Scott LaFaro on bass. You really have to hear him play to appreciate just how much better than just about everyone else he was. He is busy yet tasteful, innovative and compelling to listen to. It would be a rare player indeed to come even close. Then there's Motian on drums. Based on other things I heard, I expected him to sit back, keep the beat and stay out of the way. He keeps the lid on the volume, but he plays with a control and intensity that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Unlike Jack DeJohnette, his timing syncs up precisely with Evans. His contribution to this trio should not be underestimated.
Then there are the songs. Each song is like an artichoke - dig a little deeper and you get a brand new flower. My favorites include Milestones with the upbeat drums and tasty chord voicings, the sweet playing on Alice and Wonderland, and the bass harmonics on Some Other Time, but there are so many good parts, and no weak ones. I'm sure my take will change over time as I become more familiar with the songs.
Finally, the context of the recording plays a big part in my overall impression. The small bits of applause add some irony to this recording - who knew that that this largely ignored day-in-the life of three underappreciated musicians would spawn albums, articles, and new jazz players for decades to come? The knowledge of LaFaro's impending death, his strained relationship with Evans, Evans' drug problems, Evan's profound grief at the death of LaFaro, and the fact that Evans is now gone all color my experience of this recording significantly. This album is a microcosm of the many tragedies and occasional triumphs in the strange and sometimes wonderful world of jazz. And a truly fine listening experience.
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
The 50th Anniversary of the Most Seminal Jazz Piano Recording of Them All May 14, 2008
By Samuel Chell
Even though I had the two original Riverside LP's and two later CD's purporting to contain remastered essentials from the session, Amazon's price for the latest three-disc collection was too attractive to pass up. After listening to the three discs in sequence, I now question if I even heard what was on the previous recordings. This is at once stunning and immeasurably satisfying music, LaFaro and Evans "in the moment" as never before, their empathy, individual genius, and shared quest of discovery brought to vivid realization for the listener. Not until his final trio with bassist Marc Johnson would the pianist again approach such a level of artistry, but there would be no possibility of a return to the moment of incipient splendor. This may be the greatest value on Amazon, but there's no way to put a price on the music herein. Even if you've limited or stopped purchasing the endangered CD (now apparently going the way of the LP), this one had better be the exception. Forget the download. Both you and Bill deserve better.
WARNING (read the directions): Shortly into the first track, "Gloria's Step," there's an audio drop-out that sounds like some flawed CDs that I've purchased. I requested a replacement from Amazon before reading the enclosed booklet. The one-second gap of silence is a technical glitch or power failure with the Ampex tape recorder, captured just as it transpired (or momentarily expired) on that Sunday afternoon, June 25, 1961.
Warning #2: Listen to "All of You," Take 1 (which moreover was excluded from the first LP editions). Comparing it to later versions by other pianists is in itself enough to convince a careful listener that, even if jazz piano has changed since Evans' 1961 recording, it hasn't necessarily been for the better. But no need for comparisons. (Not to mention the problematic nature of applying concepts like "progress" and "evolution" to the arts. As Sonny Stitt once said, "Who can play better than Art Tatum?) Bill was sui generis. Even if he can, to my ears, occasionally sound a trifle "stale," or predictable (especially during his vast "middle period"), the same can hardly be said of his music early and late. On the Riverside Vanguard sets (and for that matter all of his recordings pre-1961) as well as his last 18 months (1979-80), his music can be more inexhaustibly satisfying than perhaps any other musician's. Speaking personally, Bill's music is so addictive as to seem self-sufficient, leading to a sort of "musical solipsism." But as we all know, there would have been no Bill Evans without Hines, Tatum and Bud Powell, just as Bill himself had an incalculable influence on virtually every major pianist who followed him. Still, as much as his music remains "in the tradition," to some of us it continues to occupy a place of its own, a space so unique that, 50 years after these still-fresh and vital Vanguard sessions, a serious challenger has yet to appear.
[Rewritten June 16, 2011 (5 days short of the 50th Anniversary of that glorious Sunday afternoon and evening.]
See all 43 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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