30. Bill Evans Trio — Sunday At The Village Vanguard (1961)

Serious business

1. I’m often curious how much one’s preconceived notions play into their appreciation of any given work. Does reading a positive or negative review ahead of seeing a movie lead you to favor that impression while watching? Does knowing a recording artist’s past albums color how you take in their newest one? Does it matter if the painting you’re looking at started a revolution in style? Almost certainly the answer to each is “yes,” with the unknown follow-up: “but how much?”
   
   What does it say when you pass the subway musician without stopping to realize it’s a world-famous violinist? What does it mean if you have to be told it’s a world-famous violinist to appreciate the scale of it?
2. My first impression of the Bill Evans Trio’s live recordings from the Village Vanguard left me feeling very apathetic. It’s all fine, but there aren’t melodies to latch onto here in the way I love Miles Davis or Dave Brubeck, and the sound isn’t obviously forward thinking in the way Jimmy Smith was. It sounded a bit like elevator or lobby music — pleasing, but background music, almost a generic jazz trio.
3. But it seems Bill Evans is the pianist who played with Miles Davis on Kind of Blue, my still-favorite album from this project thus far. I love his piano sounds on that album. Now I go back and listen to another track or two and I can start to make the connection in the sound. I hear the same gentle chords like rain dripping down on a fire escape. I appreciate it bit more. Was I wrong before, or is it bullshit that knowing who Bill Evans is and associating him with a work I love changes my impression of his solo work?
4. Along the same lines, I’m reading the blurb about the album in 1001 Albums… and this part struck me: “Each tune bears repeated listening, but ‘Gloria’s Step’ is astonishing, while the interplay on ‘Alice in Wonderland’ ranks among jazz’s greatest achievements.” Holy effusive praise, Batman. So I go back and listen, and huh — the interplay on “Alice in Wonderland” is great! Elsewhere they describe how this trio “erased the boundaries between accompanist and soloist, introducing radical new possibilities for small-group jazz.” So what before was a complaint about a somewhat generic sound reveals itself to have actually invented that sound? Gotta give credit for that, right?
5. In the end, I’m left with an impression somewhat better than my original one, but I’m not willing to simply say: “I was wrong the first time.” I had those impressions for a reason. I also can imagine that with repeated listens, my impression of the album might continue to rise; I’ve often found that first impressions can be misleading (both the good ones and the bad), and familiarity with a work makes it easier to appreciate. There’s the downside of trying to listen to 1001 albums — it’s very difficult to spend the time digesting each one that they merit. C’est la vie.

Liner Notes (i.e. I actually had more than 5 bullet points to say this time):

• Weird album: it includes three versions of “All of You,” and two versions of “Gloria’s Step,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Jade Visions.” I’d love to have more time to digest the differences in these takes.
• You may know The Village Vanguard from The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Now I’m curious if any of the Lenny Bruce episodes have had him opening for Bill Evans, which he did many times there.

One Essential Song:

Listen on Spotify: