Customer Reviews

Turn Out The Stars: Final Village Vanguard Recordings

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.... but some of us are looking at the stars. When I first picked this up, 7 years ago, I was stunned and driven to tears by the beauty of the music herein. I have never heard a CD that has impacted me as deeply as this, and I was not really that aware of Evans, other than as the piano player on KIND OF BLUE. THIS CHANGED ALL THAT. What happened here was that I came face to face with a man who knew that his life was ending and the urgency in his playing was driven by his desire to make some lasting enduring statement about Music and what Truths lie therein before fate came to turn out the stars.
You don't need me to validate his playing. Evans was one of a kind and a soul of powerful emotions. Often called impressionistic, Evans was really more exitentialistic: there is an urgency at every moment to live and to play authentically. I can see what Miles saw in him: it wasn't what he played, but what was in the silence that his beautiful music framed. This set is absolutely loaded with such moments.
Oscar Wilde made the comment with which I opened this note. Oscar also observed that "All men kill the things they loved." Should you ever read Bill's biography, you'll understand how that aphorism applies with tragic tenderness to Bill Evans. I can think of no greater loss to music than his passing. This set presents the mments just before his star went supernova. It is the most brilliant box set I have ever heard.

This 6CD box set presents the final Bill Evans trio performing live at the Village Vanguard in New York. Recorded just three months prior to Evans death, the set proves to be the outright representative of his latter work.

This set is totally unique to any other Evans recording in my opinion, expressing both the hard swinging and also the subtle, lyrical Evans in equal proportions. The trio interacts brilliantly on every disc, with extended bass and drum solos frequent in number. This set throughly reveals Evans during his final performing period with a high percentage of original material and a more aggressive approach to the piano. In particular, disc 4 presents a firey Evans, who reinvents such tunes as "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "Up With The Lark".

Overall, this set comes highly recommended. Within my vast jazz CD library, this set ranks within the top few purchases I have made. Many of the selections are played with a liberal dose of humour and you get to fully recognise the way in which Bill Evans was growing musically during the period. The four takes of "Nardis" alone are proof to this rapid growth, with each presenting totally different views on the classic melody. If you love Bill Evans, or just love great piano jazz, then buy this set. You will not be disappointed.

The Village Vanguard is the club that Bill Evans played some of his best music. It is rather amazing that Evans, who was dying after years and years of drug abuse, played the way he did during these sessions. It was as if his hands had a mind of their own. This 6 CD box is essential to any fan of Evans. His last trio was one of his best. Musch like his first trio, the interaction between Evans, Marc Johnson, and Joe LaBarbra is just amazing. I have heard many piano-bass-drum trios try to accomplish this sort of sound and they fall way behind. This is the trio at their best. I believe the most impressive tracks are the many versions of "Nardis" and "My Romance" where each memeber of the trio gets a few minutes for an unaccompanied solo. This set is rather expensive (there is a highlights CD that is rather limited) but it is worth every cent. It is a true jazz classic.

Words like "perfect" and "brilliant" are often bandied about when one talks of their favorite musician(s). Frequently their use is unwarranted, making these words near-meaningless and overly common. However, when someone like Bill Evans comes along, the true meanings are restored and you just can't help but call the man a genius.

Turn Out the Stars is one of the most emotional, heartwrenching performances ever captured. While (in my opinion) Evans wasn't the technical virtuoso that Oscar Peterson was, he played with more passion than Peterson was ever able to muster. You can truly hear the pain and sorrow transferred from Evans's soul to the piano. At this point in his life, he had kicked heroin and was consumed by cocaine. When this was recorded Evans (and everyone else) was well aware that he was dying and his playing seems to be an attempt to write his own epitaph. It is at times somber, at times joyous, but always full of such emotion.

His supporting cast is phenomenal; by far the best trio he's had since the legendary "Live at the Village Vanguard" grouping. They are careful not to overpower Evans because they know he does not have much time left. Their restrained playing is absolutely gorgeous.

The decline of Bill reminds me of Charlie Parker's long downward spiral. In The Bird's case, alcohol had him by the throat for decades, and it eventually proved to be his Grim Reaper. Though Evans suffered the same ultimate fate, it does not detract from the quality of his music. This is perhaps the finest jazz recording made in the second half of the 20th century. It made me cry, smile and shudder the first time I played it through. It's that damn good.

Do yourself a favor and download the MP3 version of this from Amazon for $30, or try to find the box set somewhere. It will be one of the best investments you make this year.

Evans may be gone, but his legend lives on. There will never be another musician like him.

These last sessions from June 1980 of Bill Evans Trio at the Village Vanguard are a treasure, in large part, due to the superb recording and engineering of Malcolm Addey. None of the earlier recordings the Evans Trio at the Vanguard have the clarity, balance and overall quality that this set produced. It seems to me, despite his deteriorating health, that Evans was still able to bring more energy to these performances, than later in August 1980. Yes, Evans plays some of the old repertoire, like "My Romance" and "But Not For Me" in an up-tempo fashion, but results are wonderful, and a testament to the excellence of this final trio with Evans, Johnson and LaBarbera. Personally, I think Johnson and LaBarbera helped Evans to finally break away from the successful, but predictable style of the Evans, Gomez, Morrell period. In fact, Evans alludes to this during an interview with Jim Aikin, contained in the excellent liner notes of this 6CD box set.

In terms of sheer sound quality, this set is, by far, the best recording issued of Bill Evans. As compared to the first Vanguard recording in 1961, the audience is (or was) wonderfully quieter and, thank god, respectful to the one of the greatest but soon to be dying pianist.
Though Bill's life was already numbered at the time of this recording, he still played most of the tunes immaculately in composure without hasting every note as evident in the Keystone Korner sessions two months later, hardly two weeks before his premature death. My favorite is Disk 3, which consists mostly of Bill's own compositions, such as Time Remembered. The boxed set contains all the final set of his newest compositions, Letter to Evan, Tiffany, Your Story and Knit for Mary F. All of them immediately became my favorites. As I listened to those brand new tunes, I was reminded of John Lennon, who was to be gunned down less than three months later. Both Evans and Lennon passed away when their formidable creative talent resurfaced and exploded. Only the good die young.

This collection of six CDs is a showcase for Bill Evans' last trio, recorded in 1980 with the fine Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbara on drums. It's a highly energized Evans one hears, both revisiting familiar repertoire (there are four versions apiece of the setclosers "Nardis" and "My Romance") & introducing new compositions such as the lovely waltz "Tiffany" & the ballads "Your Story" & "Knit for Mary F." Listeners will have to decide for themselves how much has been gained or lost in the transition to the later Evans style. I must confess that while it is of course a fine album I remain somewhat disappointed: virtually every tune is taken at a ferocious clip & volume, with Evans almost swamping the keyboard (there are only 2 or 3 ballad performances on each disc). It's hard not to remember the early 1960s Riverside renditions of tunes like "In Your Own Sweet Way" & "If You Could Only See Me Now", & feel that something special has been lost (especially as Evans is simply playing sped-up versions of the old arrangements). Probably also only Evans diehards are going to feel that they needed such voluminous documentation, with a very repetitious selection of tracks. However, it's hard to cavil too much: it _is_ Bill Evans, after all. And Johnson & LaBarbara are wonderful to hear at such length.

Even for an avid fan, this six disc box set is a bit much. I will pick up almost anything with Bill Evans' name attached to it and even I had to listen to it one disc at a time spread over a few weeks.

I will say that I was constantly amazed at the variation and different readings of the same pieces that appear more than a few times throughout. "Nardis" (always credited to Miles Davis although he never recorded it himself) is rendered by the trio four times and I was blown away each time. Most pieces make at least two appearances and all are fresh and alive even though Evans played them many times across his entire album catalogue.

If I were just starting out or if I were just modestly interested in Evans, I would opt for the more manageable ARTIST'S CHOICE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM TURN OUT THE STARS [LIVE].

The HIGHLIGHTS album is an absolute must if you are just tipping your toe into jazz or have taken an interest in Bill Evans himself. Among all the records Evans released, I would also recommend purchasing one or all of the following:

1. SUNDAY AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD [LIVE]
2. EXPLORATIONS
3. EVERYBODY DIGS BILL EVANS
4. TOKYO CONCERT [LIVE]
5. AT THE MONTREAUX JAZZ FESTIVAL [LIVE]

Other fans will object to any one of the above for another (for them) more worthy suggestion. For a whole variety of reasons they may be right. But I particularly am fond of these albums and I believe they are naturally more appealing to any jazz novice. Happy hunting!

There are no words to describe the amazing beauty of the music featured in these 6 CDs. Here is a summit in the art of playing jazz on a piano.There is so much beauty in these albums that it will take you weeks to discover all of it.
Do you remember Bill Evans' "live at the Village Vanguard",recorded June 25,1961,with the immense Paul Motian on drums,and the young giant of double bass,Scott LaFaro,who died a few days after this session ? 19 years later,Evans is back to the Village Vanguard,Max Gordon's temple of jazz in the Big Apple,and thanks God,these nights were recorded;he would die two months later,just after he played a one week long engagement at San Francisco's Keystone Korner (two 8 CD sets,"Consecration" and "the last waltz"),and another one week long gig that turned into a two nights one,at NYC's Fat's Tuesday;he died two days after his second concert.
Here is the music of a dying man,who knew he was going to fie soon;only 51,but as old and used as Lester Young was,when he left,aged only 49,a few days after his last recorded session in Paris in March 1959.
Bill Evans died of beeing a drug addict,of course; but he mostly died of despair,of living a life in an unknown world,and of too many sad moments in his life.One of his favorite themes,during the last years of his life,was "Theme from MASH",aka "suicide is painless";and that's what he committed,just like Lester,or Billie did;some kind of painless suicide.They didn't take a gun or rope,they just waited until death came,using "illegal substances".
I don't think that Bill Evans never played that way.These Village Vanguard sessions,as the Keystone Korner ones,are to me the highlights of his career.Perfectly backed by the very talented Marc Johnson on bass,and Joe LaBarbera on drums,he plays like he never did,just like each tune was the last one he'll ever play.There is indescriptible music in this set.Maybe the two sets from the Keystone Korner are the most emotional ones,because they were recorded a few days before Evans' death;and surely,the music in these CDs is as great as the Village one;but the sound on these recordings is ten times better.