Customer Reviews

Waltz for Debby

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A beautifully felt and executed album, by one of the best trios in jazz history. Is it too much to say that Evans "owns" My Foolish Heart?" I think not, just as he has applied his touch to produce other definitive version. His beautiful touch--soft, lyrical, sure but seeking, produce a floating, atmospheric sound that sets him apart from all other pianists.

Evans can do no wrong, and his performances here are famous, even definitive, especially on "Porgy and Bess," "My Foolish Heart," and the absolutely wonderful "Waltz for Debbie." (Fans of the latter might want to check out the vocal of this song on "The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album", with lyrics by jazz critic and writer, Gene Lees. Bennett and Evans perform also the lovely ballad "Some Other Time," played beautifully on this album.)

"Waltz for Debbie" also show how he can either float or swing you. I used to think of him as atmospheric and ruminative, but it's clear that Evans and the trio also produce energetic sounds that move you physically as well as emotionally. Evans soothes and surprises you at the same time. The trio (Scott Lafaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums) are perfectly sympatico-the sum is greater than the parts, which is saying quite a lot considering the individual talents here.. The trio is marvelously empathic, the drums and bass kicking it up when Evans does, following his lead, yet launching into their own discursions as well (hear what LaFaro does on "Waltz for Debbie," either take of "My Romance," and throughout). This is definitely not "free jazz," it is exquisite ensemble playing that coheres because of the individual contributions of each musician. Motian's delicate brushwork and shimmering cymbals add texture and color to every performance.

One of the top jazz CDs, although it's difficult to select any single one from the Evans oeuvre (e.g., "Everybody Digs Bill Evans," "Sunday at the Village Vanguard," the many live performances). If you think there's no such thing as a natural high, listen to this album. Every CD is wonderful: If you have the bucks, by all means get the Evans box set!

'Waltz for Debby' was one of only four (official) albums made by what Evans fans know as "the first trio" - the one with Scott La Faro and Paul Motian. With 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard' it presents the legendary sessions recorded by the trio at the New York club in June 1961 shortly before La Faro's death in a car accident. Devoted Evans fans would regard both albums as essential.

There's a 'complete' Village Vanguard 3-CD set available on the Japanese JVC Victor label. There are also two different CDs which offer selected tracks from the two original albums. In my opinion, the Italian 'Giants of Jazz' version titled 'Waltz for Debby/Village Vanguard' is a better selection than the Milestone label's `Live at the Village Vanguard', but it's difficult to get hold of and I don't know whether the re-mastering will be as good as on the originals. If you don't know either of the original albums and are cautious about investing in the "complete" edition, I would suggest that 'Waltz for Debby' is the one to buy first. (I should add that I know of three other Bill Evans CDs - two of them, confusingly, on the 'Giants of Jazz' label - which use 'Waltz for Debby' in the title. Don't mistake them for this one.)

The music itself finds Evans in his more introspective, glowingly lyrical form on the slow pieces: "My Foolish Heart", "Detour Ahead", "Some Other Time" and "I Loves You Porgy". The first and last of these are especially moving. Evans's delicacy of touch and tone and his willingness to leave space between his phrases (rather than filling the space with unnecessary decoration, as a fussier pianist would) help to give the music a kind of floating, other-worldly quality which Wordsworth's definition of poetry - `emotion recollected in tranquillity' - aptly describes. "My Romance" and Evans's "Waltz for Debby" are similarly romantic, tuneful themes, and although they are faster, more overtly swinging numbers, Evans's improvisations are still in a warmly melodic, 'singing' style. The final track is a fascinating re-working of Miles Davis's famous theme, "Milestones" and, although it's the fastest track on the album, Evans's gentle touch and unhurried phrasing at this tempo give the piece a striking blend of intensity and relaxation. But the album is very much a group performance. The close rapport and the sense of collective improvisation which the trio aimed for are very strong in these Vanguard sessions, and both La Faro and Motian play with remarkable subtlety and insight.

One of the immediately noticeable features of these Village Vanguard recordings, when you come upon them for the first time, is the constant 'club' background of chattering, laughing diners, tinkling glasses and cutlery, etc. At least once when you listen to the music you will probably wish that remastering technology could completely remove every extraneous noise and give us the music pure and unsullied. But for some fans (and for drummer Paul Motian, in a New Yorker article recalling the sessions forty years later) the background noise is part of the attraction of the music, locating it in a particular time and place - one Sunday afternoon and evening in 1961 in a New York jazz club - even if, in another sense, the music is utterly timeless.

(Adam Gopnik's New Yorker article can be found online at the Bill Evans Web Pages site.)

Nothing much need be said about this lovely CD. Contrary to what 'music fan from USA' says below, the music here deserves all of the praise it has received over the years. As an aside, Paul Motian is a sensitive drummer, with whom Evans chose to play on much of the classic Riverside recordings. As to the recording quality, while it may not be up to today's standards, the description given by 'music fan from San Francisco CA' shouldn't scare you off. The album was professionally recorded for release by Riverside and has a wonderful ambience and intimacy.

Contrary to the comments from 'Mark from Chicago', the music bears little resemblence to free jazz. The amazing conversations between Evans and Scott LaFaro, with Motian in support, while complex, are equally cohesive and structured. Evans was a traditionalist in terms of repetoire and, while he takes these tunes to places new and interesting, he respects them utterly.

If you're a jazz fan you either already have it, or should buy it immediately. If you're simply a music lover with an interest in jazz, you have a wonderful treat in store.

Although I'm a relatively new Bill Evans fan, his lovely piano playing -- not to mention the overall interaction of the trio, i.e., Motian and LaFaro -- has truly captivated me! For the Bill Evans beginner, (such as myself), this recording serves as a great starting point. An excellent variety: From Evans' original "Waltz for Debby," to the classic Gershwin masterterpiece, "Porgy," these excellent renditions demonstrate the essence of what the Bill Evans Trio is made of: harmonious rapport. A beautiful marriage of piano, bass, and drums. This equals to only one thing: Jazz at its finest. Highly recommended!

This album is absolutely astounding. Some might criticize it as "sleepy," and there's some initial truth to that: you'll certainly hear no blaring solos fom this recording. But every note played, every chord struck is perfectly chosen; it's remarkable to think that this was a *live* recording. From the sad phrasings of the elegaic "Waltz for Debbie" to the closing Gershwin refrain, the album is absolutely transcendent. Evans plays with supreme confidence, never obscurely dancing around what he means, but always stating it simply and beautifully. A stunner. This jazz is as good as most composed sonatas, and the rhythm section adds another dimension. LaFaro takes some solos that will jst have you wondering, "How good is he?"

As good as it gets, folks, just like the rest of this album. Unlike "Sunday," though, this is most definitely a pianist's album, with Motian's and LaFaro's contributions more supportive than leading. If you like jazz at all, buy this one; you won't be disappointed.

I had just finished 11th grade, about 50 miles south of the Village Vanguard, and probably went to Presbyterian Youth Group that morning and hung around the house reading or watching TV in the afternoon and evening. Meanwhile, up at the famous club, this trio was making jazz history, recording enough tunes to end up with two LP's and 30 years later, two CD's which had room for alternate takes. Nobody knew that bass player Scott Lafaro had only ten days to live due to a traffic accident. What a shame. Bill Evans released the tunes in which Scott was featured on "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" record a few months later, and then the rest of the performances on "Waltz for Debbie" still months afterward. So these songs have a bit more Bill and a bit less bass, yet still plenty of both. It's all good, too. Mostly mellow, subtle, graceful, totally likeable stuff. The alternate takes do not seem repetitious, either. A bit of crowd noise and clanging highball glasses brings the listener right into the club. Imagine yourself sitting there with your date, a starlet in from the other coast, talking about the movie she'll start shooting in NYC soon. You look at her lips, you perhaps undress her with your eyes, but you don't really hear what she's saying because your ears, your educated ears, will NOT be diverted from the complex and wonderful improvisations coming from the bandstand. Finally, she notices, gets mad, and says "Hey, it's the trio or me, pick one." You make the smart and moral choice, and give her cab fare back to her hotel, telling her you're staying for the second set. And now, 42 years later, you're glad you did. You don't even recall the beauty's name, but you have the music of that day with you always, and many more Evans recordings as well. (Maybe nobody behaved that way...maybe some guys left with their dates halfway through a song...but their choice was undoubtedly regretted when the affair ended badly, while the music they failed to witness lingers on.)

This is the "other" half of the Vanguard sessions which also produced the equally essential _Sunday At The Village Vanguard_. You need both of these albums to appreciate what went down on June 25, 1961! Whereas _Sunday_'s cuts were selected to feature bass monster Scott La Faro in light of his famous passing ten days later, _Waltz for Debby_ reveals the trio's more "typical" dynamics. (There's still plenty of La Faro, and it's all still infused with that ghostly power of hindsight).

The gorgeous title tune was a favorite of Bill's, but he wasn't the only one: this tune routinely makes the cut into fake books alongside well-worn standards. "Some Other Time" was another recurring, deeply introspective vehicle for the late pianist, and a delicious treat to hear live with the infamous trio (including La Faro on a monstrous-sounding bass) for comparison to the solo studio version in mono that's been added to the CD issue of _Everybody Digs Bill Evans_. Porgy makes for a wonderful closing touch.

My "close second" favorite on this album is "My Romance," both versions, on the CD issue. Even more than the rest of the album, Bill fully unveils that vintage, impossibly sweet touch of his on this tune. You know the rare time when you hear a version by someone other than the songwriter, shivers hit your spine, and you suddenly realize, "my God, *that*'s the definitive conception of this tune!!" ? Well, sink your teeth into this one.

But if there is one supreme tune on this album that never fails to overwhelm, it is this trio's immensely haunting version of "Milestones." Don't get me wrong, I love Miles' original on _Milestones_. But Bill's transformation of it, aided and abetted with such wonderful rhythmic tension by La Faro, stands a mighty chance of warping your powers of perception, permanently. There's a magic and a hunger in it that just resonate so fully with the soul; I don't know how else to put it. And the group fades it out--live, mind you--with the most subtle, heartwrenching, perfectly executed fade I've ever heard.

Drummer Paul Motian is the least flashy of the trio, but provides ample atmospheric support for the other two monsters, and quite frankly, I like his brushwork on this album better than on _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_.

Don't mind some of the criticisms about the sound quality of this album--sure, there's plenty of background restaurant ambience with plates, waitstaff, patrons running their mouth instead of listening to one of the greatest trios of all time. The music is nonetheless plenty up front and will quickly dominate your attention. Unlike some other reviewers, I find that producer Orrin Keepnews and engineer David Jones did a hell of a good job given technology, the gig's environment and perhaps other constraints in 1961. In an age obsessed with recent remasters of widely varying quality, the digital remastering of this album in *1987* by Joe Tarantino is plenty capable of holding its own.

Bottom line: if you're looking for pulsing hard bop, this ain't it. If you're looking for a quiet jewel by an otherworldly piano trio, you just hit the motherlode. Buy it, and stop thinking about it!

The definition of a piano jazz trio. I'll leave it to people who know what they are talking about to describe the technicalities of the music. For the layperson, this is piano jazz at its best. I can't get enough Evans, but if I had to take one Evans recording to the proverbial desert island...this is it. The title track is, maybe, my favorite piece of music of any sort. It's light, it's buoyant, it's whimsical, it's melancholy, it's playful, it's timeless, it's Bill Evans, Scott Lofaro and Paul Motian making magic. If for some reason you are on the fence about this recording, climb down off the fence, punch the appropriate keys and order this CD.

While this may seem like a snobby kind of
classical thing to say... I have no other way
of saying it.. Waltz for Debbie (the tune) is ingenius!
It's like listening to Johann Sebastian Bach had he
been a jazz composer/piano bringing us through
all the colors of the rainbow. Brilliant!
Don't ask me, just read all of the other reviews here!!!

The opening melodies of My Foolish Heart just melt my heart away. It is simply stunning! Then there goes Waltz For Debby tinkling in my ears...further come Some Other Time, My Romance and Porgy...how can you possibly top this album? This is simply Bill at his best, the tunes are simply stuck in my mind and if you ever listen to Evans/Bennett duet...you'll find how these tunes with lyrics just touch your sensitive heart....how my heart sings!

Most of Bill's ballads come from showtunes and movies...he can retrieve the forgotten material and infuse some freshness that makes you think it is THE Definite Version...the Genius with his Midas Touch!

One of the most memorable tunes from Bill, Waltz For Debby simply a fav. tune of his for his niece and it grows from the simple one minute solo piano (from New Jazz Conception) to a full swing version and the duet version....whatever version it is, you still can whistle to it...

Sweet as honey, pure as mountain drop, fresh as spring...and before I sound like a supermarket...Let us welcome... Bill Evans Trio!