The Village Vanguard Sessions

This release presents, in chronological order, all surviving complete performances from the legendary 1961 Village Vanguard sets by the Bill Evans Trio. Two classic albums were culled from these sets: Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. It would be the last recording by this formation of the group, with Scott LaFaro on bass, and Paul Motian on drums, as LaFaro died ten days later in a car crash, on July 6, 1961, at the age of 25. Evans, who loved LaFaro's playing, took a long hiatus before forming a new trio. Twenty-page booklet with memorabilia and updated liner notes."All the Vanguard music is informed by an extra sense of discovery, as if the musicians were suddenly aware of what they were on to and were celebrating the achievement. This is music which continues to provoke marvel and endless study."- Penguin Guide to Jazz (Richard Cook & Brian Morton), 5 *****"Of the many recordings Evans issued, the two Vanguard dates and Explorations are the ultimate expressions of his legendary trio." - AllMusic(Thom Jurek), 5 *****