Recorded on June 25, 1961, Sunday at the Village Vanguard features Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. LaFaro died eleven days later. Evans and producer Orrin Keepnews selected performances that highlighted the bassist, making the album a particular view of the day's music.
Waltz for Debby was released in 1962 from the Bill Evans Trio's June 1961 Village Vanguard recordings. Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian also appear on Sunday at the Village Vanguard from the same date. LaFaro died ten days later, making these performances the trio's final recorded chapter.
Portrait in Jazz is the first studio album by the Bill Evans Trio with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian, recorded in December 1959 for Riverside Records. It contains seven jazz standards and two Evans originals — 'Peri's Scope' and a trio version of 'Blue in Green', co-credited to Miles Davis and Bill Evans. It is the first of only two studio albums recorded by this trio. LaFaro’s bass is given nearly equal status to the piano, though less so than on later albums. Motian avoids standard bop formulas and reacts directly to what he hears from Evans and LaFaro. The album reflects a collaborative ethos grounded in mutual listening and suppressed ego.