Bill Evans Trio’s Sunday At The Village Vanguard UHQR

Scott LaFaro in focus

Sunday at the Village Vanguard opens with “Gloria’s Step” and closes with “Jade Visions”, both composed by Scott LaFaro. Between them sit four further selections by the Bill Evans Trio. The programme draws attention to the bassist recorded alongside Evans and drummer Paul Motian at New York’s Village Vanguard on 25 June 1961.

LaFaro died in a car accident eleven days later. Evans and producer Orrin Keepnews subsequently assembled an album that would highlight his playing. Its subtitle, “Featuring Scott LaFaro”, is therefore part of the release’s history. The record preserves a musical partner whose contribution reaches well beyond accompaniment.

The two original compositions establish a deliberate frame. “Gloria’s Step” opens the encounter, while “Jade Visions” returns to LaFaro as a composer at the close. Between them, the selected solos reveal further aspects of his playing. The album remembers him through the music itself, while preserving what Evans and Motian had developed together with him.

A trio listening together

Evans, LaFaro and Motian had already recorded Portrait in Jazz and Explorations. At the Vanguard, they work within the immediate setting of a jazz club. Five sets on this Sunday conclude a two-week engagement, with Dave Jones recording the music for Riverside.

To explore their interplay, start by following the bass. Where does LaFaro answer a piano figure, and where does he introduce an idea himself? Motian and Evans remain equal partners throughout. The fascination lies in the shared direction: three voices carrying a piece forward while retaining their individuality.

Since 1958, LaFaro had played a double bass built by Abraham Prescott in 1825. It was severely damaged in the accident and later restored. These recordings preserve its role in this trio: a particular instrument in the hands of a young musician whose ideas helped shape the group’s interaction.

From “Gloria’s Step” to “Jade Visions”

Alongside LaFaro’s compositions are “My Man’s Gone Now”, “Solar”, “Alice in Wonderland” and Cole Porter’s “All of You”. The six performances are drawn from different sets that day. The UHQR retains this album sequence without the alternate takes included on later CD editions.

The same day’s recordings also produce Waltz for Debby. The albums complement one another, while LaFaro’s compositions give Sunday at the Village Vanguard a particular focus. Listening to both reveals the same ensemble through two different selections. It is worth allowing each side to unfold without haste.

The Analogue Productions 45-RPM UHQR

This stereo edition comprises two 200-gram Clarity Vinyl LPs, pressed at Quality Record Pressings. Kevin Gray handles mastering and cutting at Cohearent Audio. The label identifies original analogue tapes as the source. The UHQR cut is distinct from the earlier AcousTech 45-RPM edition.

Limited to 5,000 copies, the release includes a gatefold jacket with session photographs and an eight-page booklet featuring a text by Bob Blumenthal, presented in a UHQR box. It is an elaborate presentation for six performances whose essence remains immediate: piano, double bass and drums, one shared day, and three attentive musical partners.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.

Artist page: All titles by Bill Evans

Customer question: Collecting UHQR records: limited editions of great albums

Series: UHQR – all 31 editions with pressing run and mastering

Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

• Bill EvanspianoParticipation: Album personnel
• Scott LaFarodouble bassParticipation: Album personnel
• Paul MotiandrumsParticipation: Album personnel

Bill Evans Trio: Bill Evans (piano), Scott LaFaro (bass), Paul Motian (drums) on all tracks. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard, New York City, on June 25, 1961. Producer: Orrin Keepnews. Recording engineer: Dave Jones. Liner notes: Ira Gitler and Orrin Keepnews; booklet for this edition: Bob Blumenthal. This edition: mastered and lacquers cut by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio), from the original analog tapes according to the publisher; plating Stan Bishop (RTI); pressed at Quality Record Pressings; UHQR series produced by Chad Kassem.