1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 27. The Bill Evans Trio – Sunday at the Village Vanguard (1960)

More jazz. I don’t know what this sub-genre is. It’s very free and laid back, with Evans playing piano accompanied by bass and drums. Or, well, actually each of the trio accompany the other, shifting around in focus and taking turns to take centre stage.  

Evans played piano on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. And there’s a tragic story to this album as the bassist, Scott LaFaro, was killed in a car accident just a few days after. Evans didn’t play again for months. So, for that, if you like jazz, I can see how this is an important work for more than just the music. 

For me, it’s a little too much in the weeds of laid back, stripped down, free and loose jazz to really float my boat, but it was quite good to listen to while I worked on other things. The album also feature alternative takes to some of the tracks which is an interesting compare and contrast exercise.  

Doesn't he look a little like Eugene Levy on that cover, or is that just me?

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