The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 (2005)

"The music recorded by Bill Evans on June 25, 1961, has long since acquired legendary status. Evans, a brilliant pianist whose unique voicings have influenced over a generation of jazz pianists who have followed him, weaves one masterpiece after another with bassist Scott LaFaro (a promising composer and phenomenal bassist) and the equally valuable drummer Paul Motian. The interplay between them is phenomenal throughout each of their 5 sets that day. This beautifully remastered collection restores the previously omitted take of "Gloria's Step" (marred only by a brief power outage) and the humorous finale at the end of the night. The songs are in their original sequence, adding a bit of ambience between numbers. Sadly, it was the trio's final recording, as LaFaro died in a car crash ten days later. The selections from this box set have been reissued numerous times, but this is the first time that all is collected in one box set. Essential, whether you are a novice or seasoned jazz fan." (Ken Dryden, Allmusic)