Bill Evans
The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings 1961

"This is it".

These three words would suffice to make you understand the importance of this work; here, there's everything, every single note played on that enchanting evening of June 25, 1961, the day when Bill Evans and his Trio wrote one of the most important pages in the history of music, performing for the New York audience at the Village Vanguard, unaware they were witnessing a performance that represents a true cornerstone for Jazz.

Because on that summer night, the Trio, composed of Bill Evans on piano, Scott LaFaro on double bass, and Paul Motian on drums, truly made history, revolutionizing the concept of improvisation and interplay, reaching a new pinnacle of communication and musical spontaneity.

Here lies the grace and purity of Evans' piano intertwining masterfully with LaFaro's vigorous double bass; there are the candid and fragile ballads led by the skillful hands of the American pianist, always careful and adept at choosing the right note at the right time, as in "My Foolish Heart" or "Porgy (I Loves You, Porgy)"; there are Motian's seductive rhythms, admirable in his constant juggling between brushes and sticks, supporting compositions like "Alice in Wonderland" and the enchanting "Waltz for Debby" (a delightful combination of ballad and lively swing).

In these notes, there's a quest for perfect balance, and it's incredible to think how this balance is achieved so spontaneously, in an excellent combination of musical freedom and rationality, between soul and body.

All we can do is listen.

"This is it".

Note: Parts of this performance can be found in the albums "Sunday At Village Vanguard" and "Waltz For Debby". This "The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings 1961" is the first complete release of the concert. The entire set is gathered in an elegant box containing three discs (one for each set), each of which has been remastered. Accompanying the work is a booklet with notes by Orrin Keepnews, the producer of all Bill Evans albums released for Riverside.