BILL EVANS

At The Montreux Jazz Festival

SEALED limited edition 45 rpm 200 gram Vinyl 2 LP set. Verve/Analogue Productions AAPJ 8762-45. Stereo, limited edition reissue. COVER & VINYL: MINT still sealed, heavy gatefold cover.

200-gram pressing by Quality Record Pressings! Now at 45 RPM!

Cut by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab by Acoustic Sounds

Old-style tip-on gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing

Winner of the 1969 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group!

"(Analogue Productions) reissued this album once before, in 1994, on a single, 180-gram, 33.3 RPM LP. Mastered by Bernie Grundman, it sounded better than Verve's original pressing. The new 45, mastered by Matt Lutthans and stamped on the late Doug Sax's cutting gear, sounds better still. There is a fiercely live quality to this pressing. Instruments loom on the soundstage with 3D precision. Gomez's bass is vibrant with wood: you hear every pluck, and when he snaps a string, it makes you jump. DeJohnette's trap set is equally clear — every bass beat, stick stroke, and cymbal sizzle — and when he takes a solo, it gets loud but not muddy. Evans's color tones, shifting harmonies, counterpoints, and pedal shifts have never pierced the ambience so audibly, at least not on other pressings of this recording." — Fred Kaplan,

"Analogue Productions has done a superb job in re-mastering Bill Evans — At The Montreux Jazz Festival to audiophile vinyl. The utilization of 45 RPM speed is a revelation. The atmospheric 'quiet' is at studio-level clarity. (When the audience applauds at the end of a song, it is almost startling). The detailed, precise tonality of the instruments is incredible, especially with a good pair of stereo headphones. Evans' piano is percussive and crisp. All of the double bass sounds are crystalline, and small touches like brush on cymbal are showcased in the mix. The vinyl pressing by Quality Record Pressings is impeccable. ... This album is a jazz and audiophile historical document. This would be a valuable addition to any collection, especially jazz aficionados and vinyl enthusiasts!" — 5 stars / Robbie Gerson, Audiophile Audition, Aug. 17, 2020.

As others have noted, this album occupies a unique place in the Bill Evans discography. It's the only album to document drummer Jack deJohnette's too-short stay in the trio. The trio's performance on this album won them the 1969 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.

By the time this set was recorded, live in Montreux on June 15, 1968, Eddie Gomez and Evans had been playing together for two years. Gomez provided a different brand of virtuosity to that offered by Scott LaFaro in Evans's classic trio of five years earlier but he was clearly the best bass player Evans had worked with since LaFaro's tragic death. The groove between the two was deep and comfortable, so comfortable that in this set, Evans did something he hadn't done before, at least on a recording: he showcased Gomez for an entire piece, the almost 7-minute-long "Embraceable You."

As the liner notes by Gene Lees reveal, Evan's performance at the renowned jazz festival in the nightclub of the Montreux Casino, one of the most fashionable resorts in Switzerland, was one of his best. He and Gomez played with more exuberance, more happiness and more drive. Evans' brooding, introspective musical side has been represented well on records before; the bright side has been too-little heard, but it's here in this album.

At the end of each number the audience exploded in applause so stormy and extended that it had to be heavily edited for the album.

For the 45 RPM 2LP edition of this sparkling Bill Evans piano performance, we turned to mastering engineer Matthew Lutthans, who cut the sides at The Mastering Lab by Acoustic Sounds.

For this edition only the best vinyl pressing would do — a 200-gram super-silent luxurious-sounding platter from Quality Record Pressings, makers of the world's finest-sounding LPs. And Stoughton Printing old-style tip-on cardboard gatefold jacket with vibrantly reproduced original artwork. How does it get any better? Well, we've cut this edition at 45 RPM! The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.

First-rate and top-notch, this album will make a superb addition to your record collection.

Recorded June 15, 1968, at the Casino de Montreux, Switzerland/Recorded by the technical department of Radio Suisse Romande.

BILL EVANS (piano) EDDIE GOMEZ (bass) JACK DeJOHNETTE (drums).

A1 One For Helen 4:03 A2 A Sleeping Bee 5:43 B1 Mother Of Earl 4:50 B2 Nardis 7:57 C1 I Loves You Porgy 5:40 C2 The Touch Of Your Lips 4:26 D1 Embraceable You 6:18 D2 Someday My Prince Will Come 5:23 D3 Walkin' Up 3:17

***FACTORY SEALED***NEVER PLAYED***

 

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RECORD GRADING:

MINT (M) ---- It should be SEALED and appear to be brand new. Mint means STILL SEALED, NEVER PLAYED. NEAR MINT (NM or NM-) ---- OPENED or UNSEALED. Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident.
VERY GOOD PLUS (VG++ or strong VG++ or VG+++) The record or cover that all but the most particular collector would say looks outstanding. Cover may have insignificant manufacturers defect such as notch hole or cut corner.
VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+ or strong VG+) The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully.  On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptable  for most collectors.  Cover has most of its original gloss and has been well taken care of.  Minor seam splits may be acceptable.
VERY GOOD (VG or strong VG) ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, non-feelable marks that might or will affect the sound as mild occasional surface noise or periodic pops/clicks. Usually a cover is VG when one or more of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.
VERY GOOD- (VG- or G+) Record will show signs same as VG with heavier wear including noticeable groove wear and feelable marks that will likely pop or click.  Popping or clicking will be most evident through quieter passages.  Record should play all the way through, but may skip.
GOOD (G) ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping, but may skip. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.  Filler copy until a better one can be found.
POOR (P) ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Only the rarest of records should ever be graded as Poor while the others should go to the trash heap.

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