Albums That All Humans Should Own #1 & 2

Here we go, my friends. I am going to begin giving some essential albums picks so you too can enjoy the wonderful world of jazz.

On a weekend in 1961 The Bill Evans Trio played the Village Vanguard in New York City. The group had been together for a few years but this was the first time that they had been recorded with top-notch equipment.  The three men (including Scott LeFaro, bass, and Paul Motian, drums) had a interesting take on what a piano trio should be: they didn't want it to be a piano trio at all. The bass and drummer were not there simply to support the piano; all three musicians were equal.  Sure, the group had Bill Evans' name, but he was a star after his role in Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue'. The three men play together beautifully.  It is the sort of music that you can keep in constant rotation over the course of the day and create a gorgeous soundtrack.

My wife did this when she was pregnant and at home. Perhaps that's why our babies are so happy and mellow.

The trick is what specific album to buy... The weekend's performance (5 sets worth) was released on a few different albums.  You can get the entire performance on a three disc set 'The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961'. I think most people don't need that set (do you need 3 takes of All of You and two takes of Alice in Wonderland, Detour Ahead, Gloria's Step, Jade Visions, My Romance and Waltz For Debby? If you do, I understand completely) but why not save a few dollars and pick up the albums 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard' and 'Waltz For Debby'.

If you are trying to decide which one to get first, may I suggest you choose 'Waltz For Debby' since it has the stunningly gorgeous Some Other Time. Just listen to that incredible song! Does it have you rushing out to buy it right now? I thought so. I would love to know what Paul Chamber's thought of LeFaro's work.

'Waltz For Debby' (1961) and 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard' (1961) are my first and second picks of essential albums that all humans should own.

A sad note: these recording are all the more special because Scott LeFaro died in a car accident a couple of weeks after they were recorded.

He is woefully under-recorded and few aficionados doubt that he would have become a major force in jazz. His playing is unique. He spends much of his time high up on the neck of his bass creating captivating melodies and rhythms that help make this Trio so unique in jazz. Some say that Bill Evans never got over the loss, and even suggest that though he recorded voluminously  until his death in 1980, he never again achieved the transcendent quality on display on that day. I have listened to a lot of Bill Evans and have never heard an album that has me arguing against that statement.