William John Evans was an American jazz pianist and composer who mostly worked as the leader of a trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block chords, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines continues to influence jazz pianists today.
Rocco Scott LaFaro was an American jazz double bassist known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. Despite his short career, he was ranked number 16 on Bass Player magazine's top 100 bass players of all time.
Portrait in Jazz is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans, released in 1960. It is the first of only two studio albums to be recorded with his famous trio featuring bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian.
Explorations is an album by jazz pianist Bill Evans that was originally released on Riverside label in 1961. The album won the Billboard Jazz Critics Best Piano LP poll for 1961.
New Jazz Conceptions is the debut album as leader by jazz musician Bill Evans, released in 1957 on Riverside Records.
Sunday at the Village Vanguard is a live album by jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans and his Trio consisting of Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian. Released in 1961, the album is routinely ranked as one of the best live jazz recordings of all time.
Waltz for Debby is a live album by jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans and his trio consisting of Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian. It was released in 1962.
"'Round Midnight" is a 1944 composition by pianist Thelonious Monk that quickly became a jazz standard and has been recorded by a wide variety of artists. A version recorded by Monk's quintet was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1993. It is one of the most recorded jazz standards composed by a jazz musician.
The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961, a three-CD box set released in 2005, marks the first time the entire Bill Evans Trio's complete sets at the Village Vanguard on June 25, 1961 have been released in their entirety. It also marks the first US release of the first take of "Gloria's Step," which is incomplete due to a power failure.
A Night in Tunisia is a 1957 jazz album by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, released by the RCA Victor subsidiary label Vik. It features the only recorded instances of saxophonists Jackie McLean and Johnny Griffin playing together.
California Here I Come is a live album by jazz pianist Bill Evans. It was recorded in 1967, but not released on the Verve label until 1982 as a double LP. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Jazz Album charts in 1983 and was reissued on CD in 2004. The pieces were recorded at the Village Vanguard, where Evans had previously recorded the sets that appeared on the highly influential Waltz for Debby and Sunday at the Village Vanguard, both later comprised on the definitive collection The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961.
At Shelly's Manne-Hole is a live album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans, released in 1963 as his last recording for the Riverside label. The trio featured Chuck Israels, who followed Scott LaFaro on bass in autumn 1961, and Larry Bunker on drums, who just joined the reformed trio, after Paul Motian had left. An additional eight performances recorded during the trio's May, 1963 engagement at Shelly's Manne-Hole were released on the album Time Remembered.
"Waltz for Debby" is a jazz standard composed by pianist Bill Evans. He recorded it as a solo piano piece on his album New Jazz Conceptions (1956). Lyrics were written by Gene Lees. "Debby" in the composition's title refers to Evans's niece, Debby Evans.
First Session is an album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring performances by Green recorded in 1960 and 1961 but not released on the Blue Note label until 2001. The album features the first recordings made by Green for Blue Note which were held back from release in favour of a later recording date which appeared as Grant's First Stand (1961). Also included on the album are two takes from a later 1961 session.
Paul Motian and the Electric Bebop Band is an album of bebop jazz standards by American drummer Paul Motian originally released on the German JMT label. It was the first release by the Electric Bebop Band, which featured the veteran drummer working mainly with younger musicians and which subsequently became one of Motian's primary groups until the end of his life.
Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings is a six-CD box set live album by jazz pianist Bill Evans with Marc Johnson and Joe LaBarbera recorded over four nights at the Village Vanguard in New York City in 1980 and released on the Nonesuch label in 1996.
Perceptions is a composition for trumpet soloist and large jazz orchestra composed and arranged by J. J. Johnson. The piece was commissioned by Dizzy Gillespie and recorded in 1961 for the Verve label. The instrumentation of the orchestra is unusual in that no saxophones or woodwinds are used.
Sonority is an album by American jazz bassist Curtis Counce featuring recordings from 1956 to 1958 which was released on the Contemporary label in 1989.
Live! Shelly Manne & His Men at the Manne-Hole is a live double-album by drummer Shelly Manne's group Shelly Manne & His Men, recorded at Shelly's Manne-Hole in Hollywood, California, in 1961 and released on the Contemporary label. The album was re-released on two separate CDs in 1991 as Volume 1 and Volume 2.
Live at the Half Note is a live album by American jazz saxophonists Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh recorded at the Half Note in 1959 accompanied by Bill Evans, Jimmy Garrison, and Paul Motian and first released on the Verve label in 1994 as a double CD set.
