Waltz for Debby
Recorded live at the Village Vanguard, this set rounded out what became known as an early "full" portrait of Bill Evans by followingSunday at the Village Vanguardwith most of the rest of the music he played on June 25, 1961. Very little in the annals of piano-trio jazz ever reached the clarity of execution that Evans made his own with the recordings from this single date. With bassist Scott LaFaro and drummerPaul Motian, Evans reached a rapport that sounded whisper-intimate, rolling into gentle cascades and then rhythmically pouncing juts. On the keys, Evans sounds at once completely walled-off and nakedly open as he takes on "My Foolish Heart" and the title melody. The chords are voiced ever so oddly, as are the bass and drums. Coming as it did several months in the wake of the successful first episode in Evans's Vanguard,Waltz for Debbyjust made it all the more obvious what a wonder the world had in this trio and its leader.--Andrew Bartlett