Bill Evans – “Solar” from Sunday At the Village Vanguard (1961)
Bill Evans’s four records with the otherworldly Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums–Portrait in Jazz, Explorations, Sunday, and Waltz For Debby–are jazz essentials and contain some of the most beautiful music ever. Known for sensitive interpretations of ballads, the trio could also tear into an uptempo tune, as evidenced by this take of Miles Davis’s “Solar” (pronounced So-LAHR). The group’s telepathic interplay is well-documented, but this track, along with many others on the above-mentioned records, remains surprising on each listen.
There’s a good reissue of the Village Vanguard dates originally presented on Sunday and Waltz.
–Glenn
