BILL EVANS TRIO Vinyl & CDs

Review: Bill Evans' 'At Town Hall Vol. 1' is considered among the jazz painists' most sensitive live albums. After his father's death just three days earlier, Evans was compelled to make something by and large lamentatory - a piece to channel his own grief personally and effectively. With Chuck Israels on bass and Arnold Wide on drums, this is one of Evans' finest works.

Review: Usually we note how many albums along a new release is, but by 'Trio '65', Bill Evans was so deep into his live LP-releasing career that we find it difficult to count out exactly which release number this one is. Now reissued on Verve's Acoustic Sounds series - dedicated to new vinyl remasters from analog tapes - the jazz pianist's masterful hand technique is given its most thorough audiophile's listen-in yet. Joined by bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker for this 1965 recording, this one is a typically noir and cigarette-smoked tour through both Evans originals and known standards, from 'Israel' and 'Elsa to 'Come Rain Or Come Shine'.

Review: Here's a masterclass in live jazz recordings, widely considered one of the best of all time and with very good reason. Bill Evans sat down at the piano for five consecutive sets at the Village Vanguard in New York on June 25 1961, joined by drummer Paul Motian and bassist Scott LaFaro (who died just 11 days later). Due to LaFaro's death, the album was put together as a tribute of sorts, bookended by LaFaro's own compositions and with other tracks selected to celebrate his outstanding playing. Other albums such as Waltz For Debby have since drawn on material from these sessions, but this original set remains the unrivalled pinnacle of live sets from Evans.