Selected from a December 1959 session is "Blue in Green," which appears on Kind of Blue. The trio handling of this exemplar of modal jazz gives a different perspective on a song that Evans would claim he, not Davis, wrote. While some sources now give Evans songwriting credit while others recognize Davis and Evans as co-writers, the tune is credited to Davis on this release, as it is on Kind of Blue. The trio shows its growth and development on "Israel," recorded in February 1961. Yet what many consider the highlight of the Bill Evans Trio was yet to come.
On June 25, 1961, the trio concluded a two-week stand at the Village Vanguard in New York City. The two afternoon matinees and three evening sets that day were recorded and parts released by Riverside later that year on the LPs Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. Riverside Profiles gives us the exquisite masterpiece title track of the latter, as well as the Gershwin tune "My Man's Gone Now," from the earlier release. These are just two of what are now considered historical and extraordinary performances. (Riverside released the entirety of the Village Vanguard recordings last year in an incomparable 3-CD box set last year.) Sadly, LaFaro died in a car accident 10 days later, making the Vanguard performances the trio's last public dates.
Chuck Israels became the trio's new bassist and in the spring of 1962 they recorded tracks that would be released on Moonbeams and How My Heart Sings. "Re: Person I Knew" appears from Moonbeams, the first LP recorded after LaFaro's death. The tune, whose title is an anagram for the name of the LP's producer, is a modal jazz piece, similar to "Blue in Green." While that LP was heavy on ballads, the second LP by the trio, "How My Heart Sings," was more upbeat and is represented here by the title track. While Israels and Motian remain integral parts of the trio, Evans seems more upfront on these cuts with a beautiful solo on "How My Heart Sings" (although the LP itself wasn't released until after Evans left the label for Verve.)
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