Bill Evans Complete Village Vanguard Recordings

New Liner Notes by Producer Orring Keepnews

September 2003

I guess I am entitled to say, with regard formed me that he really didnt have anything to this now-immortal series of live record- new to say. For a while he stayed with that ings, that I was the very first one there. My story. Then, at the start of 1958, lightning mind was at work long before the trio ar- struck. In ways I have never entirely un- rived for the Sunday matinee, before the en- derstood, the great Miles Davis, then as al- gineer began to sete up his primitive barely ways a man who made his own decisions (and 1960s recording equipment, even before Max if you didnt approve, f you), had become Gordon (original owner and operator of the aware of Bill and promptly hired him to re- unique triangular arena that became world- place Red Garland, long a fixture as Miless pi- famous as the Village Vanguard) had agreed anist in what soon became an incredibly cre- to Riverside Records request to record Bill ative and influential group the legendary sex- Evans, their contract artist and for two weeks tet, also including John Coltrane and Cannon- his featured attraction, on the afternoon and ball Adderley, that eventually recorded the evening of June 25, 1961. classic Kind of Blue album.

It actually was the culmination of a thought It was the very end of 1958, shortly after process that had begun more than four years Evans had left Miles and 26 months after his earlier. I had first entered a studio with Bill debut album, that he made his second LP. Evans, a bassist, and a drummer in the fall Shortly thereafter he began working in the of 1956, and had succeeded in recording a format he would (with few exceptions) main- remarkable (although only very slowly ap- tain until his death in 1980 as leader of his preciated) debut albums. Not many months own trio. After a couple of false starts, Bills later, I began to become aware of how diffi- chosen sidemen were Paul Motian, a frequent cult it would be to get Bill to repeat the pro- early associate and the drummer on his first cess of turning on the unique faucet of his Riverside session, and the startlingly original creativity. At first it seemed relatively nor- young bassist, Scott LaFaro. Although I did mal although not really usual artistic diffi- manage to make two studio albums with this dence. Most young musicians are quite ag- unit in December of 1959 and February of 61. gressive about recording, but Evans, when I felt constantly in danger of having this mar- asked about preparing a second album, in- velous source of creativity and imagination

1 slip away from me. Bill and Scott and Paul more broad-based than that: he had engi- were exploring and beginning to command neered several dates for Jac Holzmans pio- areas of trio collaboration and interplay that neering pop-folk Elektra label. were unique to them. But Evans and LaFaro I will admit that I was concerned right at did not always have the smoothest of work- the start of the first afternoon set, when we ing relationships. Scott was particularly , and suddenly realized that all recording power not too subtly, uncomfortable with Bills grow- was gone. But within barely a minute, be- ing drug problem. The second studio session fore we had time to really panic, the electric- had been especially nerve-wracking although ity was back, and the equipment functioned Explorations was an album that the pianist without a hint of trouble for the rest of that later felt very positive about. So when shortly long and memorable day. As was custom- thereafter I learned that the trio was being ary in those early days, our approach to live booked into the Vanguard for two weeks in nightclub recording involved a single Ampex June, I ignored how short a time it would be portable tape machine. In the cozy confines between dates and began planning to record of the Vanguard, we elected to set up on a ta- them on the job. ble quite close to the bandstand, maintaining Somewhat unexpectedly, I had no problem visual contact rather than hiding back in the getting Evans to agree he was entirely aware kitchen. of what this trio was creating, and undoubt- Almost from the very first moments of edly even more worried than I about how recording, it was impossible to ignore the im- fragile their unity might be. It was realistic to portance of these performances. And that, in plan to work on Sunday; the Vanguard rou- itself, was rather unexpected. Bill Evans, as tinely scheduled two matinee sets that day a human being, was always just about as in- in addition to a standard evening program. troverted as he sounded. He was not yet suf- I was not concerned about working on the ficiently widely popular to provide substan- very last day of the engagement; apparently tial attendance at the two Sunday matinee sets I was not even disturbed by the unavailabil- of or the last one that night, and was not yet ity of our staff engineer, Ray Fowler, since I likely to interact dramatically with an audi- find that I dont even remember why he was ence of any size. There are times during these not on hand. (Unfortunately, I will never be recorded sets when you hear glasses clicking able to ask him Ray died within the past year and almost feel you are overhearing conver- following a sudden heart attack but I sus- sations at the tables. Paul Motian was among pect it was something as routine but impor- those interviewed when Adam Gopnik of the tant as an already-scheduled vacation; Ray New Yorker acknowledged the 40th anniver- had a large family.) In his place we brought sary of these recordings with a feature arti- in Dave Jones, originally known to us as an cle; he attributed to those sounds some of the Ohio-based traditional jazz enthusiast, who strong feelings of immediacy and reality that had recorded and then sold to Riverside an LP still surround this material. Perhaps Paul was by the intriguingly-named Dixieland Rhythm just putting a best-possible face on what at the Kings of Dayton, Ohio. Davey actually was time was merely a pretty annoying lack of at-

2 tendance. Nevertheless, my memory tells me be indeed wasteful not to use every selection much the same things as his, and I intend to and, eventually, every take. But among the continue to think back on this day as antici- bonuses provided by my recording sheets is pating its own eventual immortality. an easy guide to how promptly Bill felt satis- Physically, this complete version differs fied with a particular performance so much only a seemingly small ways from the other so that he found it unnecessary to return to issues. There has been a certain amount of re- that composition in later sets. (Thus early instating of room sound, ambience, and final numbers like My Foolish Heart, My Romance, audience reactions. There is the only available and Some Other Time were played once dur- previously unheard performance the flawed ing the matinee and never returned to, with opening take of Glorias Step. that first take being, in effect, accepted on the The first take of My Mans Gone Now was spot for release.) originally passed over and remained at the I was not involved in the new approach to head of Master Reel #2. The other three com- this material, and when I first learned of it plete numbers on that reel were initially cho- was frankly quite uncertain as to whether I sen for release and removed. The recording approved. After all, a now-classic album like card tells us that only this one selection and this one was originally regarded by me as be- a touch of Bills set-ending them were left on ing something like a member of my family. the reel. So when this one tape was later per- But, having listened and enjoyed, I am now manently mislaid in transit, these became the prepared to inform whoever might care that dates only lost items. the original producer does indeed heartily ap- Everything is presented in the original prove of this particular experiment in recon- recorded sequence but this had also been struction. done on the boxed set that previously pre- sented all Bill Evans Riverside material Orrin Keepnews deemed usable. And as part of the pack- San Francisco, September 2003 age, you get the see the recording cards that I kept on this occasion and many oth- ers. Here they show you comments, timings, and various other bits of data originally in- tended to be helpful to me in completing pro- duction work on the album. It has previ- ously been noted that we had always planned to record too much material considering it creatively preferable to choose perhaps a half-dozen selections for future release rather than devoting the entire day and evening to frequent repetition of a pre-selected one-LP repertoire. (We quickly changed this deci- sion after recording, deciding that it would

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