Ranked time after time as one of the best live jazz recording sessions in history, and yielding two of Evans’ most classic albums (Waltz for Debby, Sunday at the Village Vanguard), The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 represents the pinnacle of spontaneous musical communication: three men breathing as one on a tiny bandstand. The performances on these LPs demonstrate a new and more interactive approach to playing as a trio, one in which all instruments carry melodic responsibilities and function as equal voices. Keepnews recalls in his liner notes that “from the very first moments of the recording, it was impossible to ignore the importance of these performances.”
| Disc: 1 |
|---|
| 1. Spoken Introduction |
| 2. Gloria's Step |
| 3. Alice in Wonderland (Take 1) |
| 4. My Foolish Heart |
| 5. All of You (Take 1) |
| 6. Announcement and Intermission |
| Disc: 2 |
| 1. My Romance (Take 1) |
| 2. Some Other Time |
| 3. Solar |
| 4. Gloria's Step (Take 2) |
| 5. My Man's Gone Now |
| 6. All of You (Take 2) |
| Disc: 3 |
| 1. Detour Ahead |
| 2. Discussing Reportoire |
| 3. Waltz for Debby |
| 4. Alice in Wonderland (Take 2) |
| 5. Porgy (I Loves You, Porgy) |
| 6. My Romance (Take 2) |
| 7. Milestones |
| Disc: 4 |
| 1. Detour Ahead (Take 2) |
| 2. Gloria's Step (Take 3) |
| 3. Waltz for Debby (Take 2) |
| 4. All of You (Take 3) |
| 5. Jade Visions (Take 1) |
| 6. Jade Visions (Take 2) |
| 7. ...a Few Final Bars |
