86. Sunday at the Village Vanguard - Bill Evans (1961) 87/100. More jazz. This time, a jazz pianist [immature chuckle]. Listening to it I kept thinking that I was really digging the bass and then came to find out that the bass player, Scott LaFaro, died in a car accident ten days after this recording and they picked the tracks that were LaFaro's strongest to make the album. LaFaro was just 25 years old and had only been playing bass for six years. To imagine if he had lived a full-life what he could have done to change the way the bass would be played. Thinking like this puts a different spin on this whole review that could make me get all existential about the depravity and injustices of the world and how delicate life is but I won't go there.
Of the jazz albums I have listened to for the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, this stood out, with Miles Davis, as some of my favorites. Perhaps it was the LaFaro legacy that had planted some subliminal seed in my head, but I really enjoyed this not only for the bass (which is the standout) but for the piano. Most jazz piano players I have encountered sound like background music at an overpriced restaurant to give the idea of ambiance but they are simply hacks who would have no problem switching from classic jazz to Billy Joel or Elton John if you put a dollar in their tip cup. This wasn't like that. This was, and I have tried to come up with the proper term that doesn't sound so cheesy, cool.
I realize that they wanted LaFaro to stand out but, in all honesty, this isn't a Bill Evans album as much as a Scott LaFaro album. Bill Evans acts more like a part of the backup band helping to keep fill around the bass. What really angered me the most about this album was the number of people talking during the performance. What the hell is wrong with them? My Man's Gone Now and Alice in Wonderland were standouts but the whole album is solid. Listened: 3/30/2011.
Favorite Tracks: My Man's Gone Now, Alice in Wonderland
No comments:
Post a Comment