bill evans at his best
930154
This record is amazing. Bill evans always had a unique way of playing jazz that made it sound almost classical. His classical style is perfect for solo performances and this album is another example.  Bill Evans plays very complex lines at the same time but they rarely get in each others way. In a response to the reviewer that said this album is not good because Bill already knows where he is going is ridiculous. Each part is well thought out and is played to perfection. My favorite tracks are Spartacus Love Theme and How About You.
2824974
There's not much I can add to what already has been said of Tony Bennett. He's possibly the most beloved and deservedly appreciated vocal talent of the last half a century. Bill Evans also was a giant of the jazz world, though perhaps not as well-known by mainstream music fans. But I can wholeheartedly recommend this collection to both newcomers looking to wade into the waters of jazz, and deeply knowledgeable fans simply looking for more great recordings they haven't yet explored. The Complete Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Recordings is just Bennett and Evans, richly performing their crafts. Deftly, the two move in and out of these tunes, tastefully hitting just the right notes. This collection would be a fine addition to ANYONE'S music library.
4240892
Sammy Davis Jr. is at his best LIVE ! I had the privilege of seeing him perform in his dancing and singing days. If you thought he was good teamed up with Sinatra et al then check this out. There's nothing better than a top notch singer and a swinging BIG band!
1038405
I am a jazz guitarist and collector of jazz albums. I suppose most critics like the earlier Billie Holiday sessions that included Lester Young and Teddy Wilson, but for pure listening pleasure, these recordings are some of my all time favorites in my jazz collection. It has fun, wonderful, small combo arrangements and Billie is her usual, haunting and understated self. Being a guitarist, I love hearing Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis, but you also get Oscar Peterson and Ben Webster. Ah, Ben Webster, with that big, lush, tenor sound, all gooey and drenched with vibrato, is magical goosebump stuff. Jazz musicians often buy feature albums of their favorite guitarist, pianist, sax player, etc., but, sometimes, hearing them play as a sideman on someone else's recording can be as rewarding as their own album (if not more). For my taste, I enjoy Kessel here as much as anything he did. I also love Ben Webster, and having to wait for his grand entry after Billie spins the lyrics, is somehow, all the more powerful. This is a great listening experience, for fans of Billie, and jazz musicians, alike.
3412850
Yes, I believe if you want to hear one CD that defines the best of Buddy's sound and energy this is the one.  It was released in the US as Rich in London in the 70's with the same cover photo (I wore out my vinyl copy) but fewer tracks and in a different order, so this more complete version has more music and the benefits of remastering.  If you have the original, yes, it is worth getting this version too.  I believe this is Buddy's strongest trumpet section with Lin Biviano carrying the lead.  The complexity of some of the charts, particularly Little Train and Time Being, goes well beyond swinging and reveals how tight this band really was.  And Buddy's solos show him at his peak of speed and agility.

The recording quality is excellent, as were most of Buddy's other live recordings.  We're very fortunate that Buddy recorded live as often as he did.  Having seen his various bands at least a dozen times I can say a live recording is the only way to come close to capturing the energy and intensity.

So okay, there is one cut - the one with Buddy's daughter Kathy singing - that you may want to skip.  I give her credit, she sounds a lot better than she did when she sang The Beat Goes On on an earlier album.  I nearly saw her perform with the band live once and perhaps my impression could have been changed.  But clearly this was all about a loving father giving his daughter a chance in the spotlight.

Also, check out Wham! Live and No Funny Hats for excellent live performances of the later bands.
3680378
This beautifully packaged double CD set was recorded in London just a few weeks before the great Bill Evans' untimely death in 1980. He's in top form, even though the piano was poorly tuned and he must have been in terrible pain during his final tour of Europe. The music is stunning as if the trio realized they'd never be back and thrilled their many fans for the last time at Ronnie Scott's club. One of my favorite live Evans records and there are many. Almost 100 minutes of outstanding jazz.
I just bought this double CD new for $11 from Import CDs, a third party Amazon seller that always offers rare music at reduced prices. Two other sellers are listing the same set for $400! Insane.
Rest in peace, Bill. Your music lives on even if some unscrupulous sellers are trying to make a killing off your brilliant artistry.
156373
Bill Evans is one of the great all-time jazz pianist, and with Claus Ogerman's symphony orchestra /arrangement, makes this CD a brilliant collaboration of two musical masters.  Wonderful CD.  Be sure to also buy the  Danilo Perez (with Ogerman) CD entitled "Across the Crystal Sea".
2544277
Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is widely regarded as the best jazz album ever recorded. Herbie Mann's At the Village Gate may well be the category of best, too. Every track on here is wonderful and different and creative. For instance, Comin' Home Baby starts with this somewhat long opening session of the bass soon accompanied by drums. Then, in comes this playful, flirting flute, not trying to make a splash, just swinging, restrained, cool. The flute quickly moves to the front and establishes a memorable, foot-tapping theme. A little later still arrives the xylophone in the background. So beautifully and subtly executed. And oh, much later, near the middle-end, you have this breath-taking and intricate bass solo. Wow. They were taking no prisoners. Summertime opens with xylophones then moves to a rhythmic and cool theme. With congas, it has an almost breezy, Latin-jazz feel. It Ain't Necessarily So starts with the tambourines and a more passionate, yet still restrained 60s protest-, psychedelic- sound. (The album was recorded in 1964.) The most interesting thing about this last track, aside from the lovely theme, is its length--nearly 20 minutes. What makes this album unique and perhaps surpassing Kind of Blue is it was recorded before a live audience. Davis said somewhere that he had (finally) settled on Kind of Blue on the day the Davis quartet created it for studio performance. It was as close as he could get to improvisational which Davis did not like necessarily for that reason. It wasn't improv-enough. At the Village Gate, however, you hear people talking, responding, and humming in the background. This "noise" adds an extra dimension of realness, of being front-row in the swing, which is jazz at its best.
4250280
The Discs and Vinyl of this recording is everything that was stated in the description. Our son-in-law has a state of the art analog system for vinyl records and these are the cleanest, clearest that he has. For my wife and I, we use the discs more and for our ears it is hard to tell the difference to the vinyl, however the volume level is very consistent and the quiet "clincks" are exceedingly clear on the discs. It is a somewhat different Bill Evans, but his classic approach is very obvious.

Amazon's delivery was well packaged and delivered as promised.
2385600
Sammy Davis, Jr., singing songs arranged by Quincy Jones to the accompaniment of Count Basie and his orchestra - this recording could not possibly be anything but fantastic.  I prefer Sammy's finger-snapping, toe-tapping showstoppers, but every so often it's nice to sit down and listen to the world's greatest entertainer relax and sing some slow jazz songs.  The musical accompaniment here is, in a word, excellent; rather than overshadow Sammy's singing, it actually heightens the amazing effect of his singular vocal stylings (although Count Basie gives us a "blow, man, blow" moment in The Girl From Ipanema).  Of course, these aren't all slow and tender vocal musings; a listen to Work Song or the sizzling She's a Woman (W-O-M-A-N) proves that.  Several of these songs were quite unknown to me up until now, but among those I am familiar with are the golden oldie classic Teach Me Tonight, the swinging New York City Blues, and Keepin' Out of Mischief Now, which appears here in a much smoother, slower version than I have heard Sammy sing elsewhere.  Of course, Dean Martin's You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You is no stranger to my ears, but Sammy really brings a fresh new interpretation to this classic Dino hit.  The other songs included here are all fantastic, but the final track is especially interesting.  Sammy requests a little Buck dance (also known as Buck and Wing) music in honor of his dad and uncle and then tap dances his way through Bill Basie Won't You Please Come Home.  When Our Shining Hour is over, Count Basie says something to the effect of "It can't get no better than that."  That statement sums this album up perfectly.
2331408
This is a great concert live of a most important jazz pianist in the world. Bob James is a great pianist, arrangements and composer and this lbum contains The most famous tunes of him. The tune "Farandole"  is very crazy. This concert is simply great. Excellent recording sound and the musicians are simply extraordinary. Enjoy this album!!!
831180
I have long considered jazz trio settings with piano, bass and drums the purest art form for jazz.

No one did it better than Bill Evans with his various jazz trio members. With that being said this effort by Bob James is not far off the pace. I totally applaud him for making this album. Although it misses the mark compared to the Bill Evans canon of trios, this first effort by Bob James in this setting is a pure joy to listen to. Taken in its own context "Straight Up" will find a very wide jazz audience to experience this jazz chamber ensemble. I find very little to fault in this album, the selections are well thoughtout, the playing is spot on and the CD itself is very well done for that medium. Wish this had been put to vinyl.

All in all my hats off to Bob James for recording this album and venturing into Bill Evans territory. It is far to infrequent in jazz today to hear a trio setting. But I am glad Bob James under took the risk. I only hope that Bob James will continue with this format in the years to come.
1762973
The music collected here spans 14 years of Bill Evans' career, including a couple of occasions as a sideman. It's not a "best of" album, since eight of the 11 tracks were unreleased prior to this 1998 compilation. The only theme that can be ascribed to the album - reinforced by the liner notes of producer Orrin Keepnews - is "here's a bunch of great Bill Evans recordings we found."
That's not to say this CD isn't well worth having, especially at the low price listed as of this writing. Evans fans will get six tracks of duets with bassist Eddie Gomez, recorded in 1970, and a trio version of "Fun Ride" that includes Gomez, from 1971. (Gomez contributed a heartfelt essay about his time with Evans to the informative booklet insert.) There are also two tunes with Evans backing up vibraphonist Dave Pike in 1962, a live performance of "My Funny Valentine" with Miles Davis in 1958, and even an innovative piece by the George Russell jazz orchestra featuring a dynamic Evans solo.
Evans fans undoubtedly will enjoy this collection. The write-up on the back of the CD case says that this album is "also a first-rate introduction" to the work of Bill Evans. Whether that's true or not will depend on the listener. A good alternative introduction is&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ultimate-Bill-Evans/dp/B000009QTX/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ultimate Bill Evans</a>.
961527
36 minutes of George Barnes at his best.  The perfect companion disc to "Don't Get Around Much Anymore".  The sidemen are of the highest caliber.
556564
Truth and Beauty is the first recording on which I truly enjoyed Joshua Redman's playing and saxophone sound. Drummer Brian Blade is, as usual, thoughtful, inventive and propulsive. But it is organist/leader Sam Yahel who has channeled the spirit of the classic Bill Evans trio (with Paul Motion and Scott LaFaro) writing six very strong originals while tackling three interesting and obscure covers. Together they have produced, by far, the best jazz record of the year.
3880220
Did anyone (don't remember) mention the excellence of the transfers and the liner notes? Steven Lasker is a hero - just compare (if you are a fanatic like I am) to the Classics issue of this material. And Animule Ball is a wonderful bonus. SOME of the band tracks ARE wonderful - particularly Dirty Dirty Dirty, Swinging The Elks and Mama's Got A Baby (all from the last session; what a pity there was to be no more). Claude Jones' replacement of Joe Britton on trombone,and the absence of Eddie Williams' alto sax help enormously. Dirty Dirty Dirty was the best writing Morton had done in years and Mama's Got A Baby shows that in addition to Jazz, Morton also invented R + B. Of course, the solo tracks are classics; have been since the day they were issued. I couldn't live without The Crave, Michigan Water, Don't You Leave Me Here - the incredible recording of King Porter...Oh let's face it, I couldn't live without any of it. And you shouldn't either.
1777716
There are cases where other reviewers have already nailed it, but I just have to chime in anyway. This is such a case: the sublime explorations of rhythm and melody that are the Bill Evans Trio's June 25, 1961 Village Vanguard performances.
It should perhaps be stated at the outset that any of these remarks also apply to the album _Waltz for Debby_, which consists of takes culled from the same live sessions as _Sunday at the Village Vanguard_. Definitely get that one concurrently with this. It makes no sense to not have both.
For me, probably the greatest pleasure in this music is listening to Scott LaFaro's bass playing (maybe that's because I'm a bass player, I don't know). The mix has him more or less front and center, even in front of Bill's piano, and Scott's playing is inspired and deserves such treatment. Most people first mention his virtuosic high-speed upper-register runs, but there's also his sonorous double-stops and strummed chords, and just listening to him hold down a single whole note is wonderful. But he never pulls away and "steals the show" overtly, because everything he plays is so rooted in interaction and response with Bill's piano. Listening to LaFaro's strength, sensitivity, and total command of his instrument is just a total joy to behold.
Evans' playing, too, was never better, I think, than on these recordings. His uncanny knack of extracting the essence of tunes and laying down "definitive" versions of them is in full effect here. Paul Motian's drumming seems quite in the background; I hardly ever notice him. In the quiet tunes, for instance, he mostly seems to work the cymbals with brushes to create atmosphere. All in all, he plays an effective supporting role.
My personal favorite moments on these albums are the contemplative, haunting masterworks that are the trilogy of quieter songs: "My Foolish Heart", "I Loves You, Porgy" (which are from _Waltz for Debby_ ) and "My Man's Gone Now", plus Scott LaFaro's "Jade Visions." I'd almost regard it as something like blasphemy for any other group to play that song. It's just so untouchable, and elegiac; as though Scott wrote his own eulogy without knowing it (he was killed in a car accident ten days after these recordings were made). And the "simultaneous improvisation" (I think some critic cooked up that phrase) this group achieves is really special. It's at a level that was never achieved on this trio's two prior studio LPs, _Portrait in Jazz_ and _Explorations_. Obviously, the spirit was just right on June 26, 1961 at the Vanguard, and these three wonderful musicians play brilliantly as an inspired unit. "Solar" is a prime example of this: listen to how the solos run; you can hardly tell at any given moment who's soloing and who's comping.
For most jazz albums, the "alternate takes" you get on the CD releases seem kinda "pesky" to me; I could easily stick with just the master takes without any distractions. But in this case, I'm quite grateful for the alternate takes that round out these discs. It just means even more unique moments of special music by this wonderful trio. I dislike cliches as much as anyone, but hey, desert island discs, for sure, these two. Don't miss out.