Bill Evans – At The Montreux Jazz Festival (LP, Analogue Productions)

As has been mentioned many times elsewhere, this album occupies a unique place in the Bill Evans discography. It is the only album that documents drummer Jack deJohnette’s far too brief stay with the trio. The trio’s performance on this album earned them the 1969 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. When this set was recorded in Montreux on June 15, 1968, Eddie Gomez and Evans played together for two years. Gomez had a different virtuosity than Scott LaFaro in Evans’ classic trio five years earlier, but he was clearly the best bassist Evans had worked with since LaFaro’s tragic death. The groove between the two was deep yet comfortable, so comfortable that in this set Evans did something he’d never done before, at least on one recording: he put Gomez front and center for an entire track that lasted almost seven minutes long “Embraceable You”.