Bill Evans Trio - Waltz For Debby - 19 Mar 65 (11 of 11)

London, March 19, 1965

Personnel:

Bill Evans - p
Chuck Israels - b
Larry Bunker - d

Set:

Part I

Five (theme)
Elsa
Summertime
Come Rain Or Come Shine
My Foolish Heart
Re: Person I Knew
Israel
Five (theme)

Part II

Five (theme)
How My Heart Sings
Nardis
Who Can I Turn To?
Some Day My Prince Will Come
How Deep Is The Ocean?
Waltz For Debby

Notes:

"Waltz For Debby" is an Evans' original, a musical portrait of his niece which originally appeared as a solo piano tune on Evans' debut album, NEW JAZZ CONCEPTIONS (Riverside Records, 1956).

This is the third incarnation of Bill Evans' great '60s piano trios, playing at a very high level. Chuck Israels' bass work, in particular, is nothing short of virtuosic. His playing shows the influence of Scott LaFaro -- especially in his use of counterpoint -- but he's supremely inventive.

Background:

Evans' first (and greatest) trio featured the irreplaceable Scott LaFaro on double bass and Paul Motian on drums. After LaFaro's tragic death in a car accident in 1961 (at age 25), Evans was so overcome with grief that he didn't play again publicly for almost a year. In early '62, he reformed his trio and hired Chuck Israels to replace LaFaro. Motian departed the trio in 1964, and was replaced by Larry Bunker.

If you're interested in hearing the greatest of all piano trios, here are the CDs to buy:

PORTRAIT IN JAZZ (1959)
EXPLORATIONS (1961)
THE COMPLETE VILLAGE VANGUARD RECORDINGS, 1961 (3-CDs representing the trio's complete five sets at the Village Vanguard on Sunday, June 25, 1961, 11 days before LaFaro's death).